Family First
by Pandegin
Summary: When Kagome is left to die, it's up to her family to protect her. And it's going to be a whole-family affair; plus a few friends, of course.
1. When All Else Fails

Family First

Disclaimer:  
I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho.

"_Hiei thoughts" also "everyone else's thoughts as dictated by sentence"  
_"_**Yoko thoughts"  
**_"_Kurama thoughts"_

Chapter 1: When all else fails.

His heart beat as hard as his foot steps down the hall. The beating echoed through his numb brain, urging him on as fast as he could go, sprinting through doorways, down hallways, pushing past startled doctors, and bristled nurses, hearing their shouts, and the sound of his friends calling his name; but nothing else mattered. He had to get to her. He had failed her. He had failed her. She had had him all her life, and when she needed him the most, he had turned his back on her. How could he let this happen? She meant everything to him. His guilt ate him up the longer it took to find his way. Finally, he sprung around a corner at full blast almost hitting the opposite wall with his excess momentum. When his sight cleared, he saw the room number he was looking for printed in still small lettering, nothing special about the numbers, against the pastel green plastic slot. His fear of what lay beyond that door caught up with him, and the lump in his throat lodged itself firmly at his adam apple, making it difficult to breath, let alone move. His two friends skidded to a halt beside him, breathing hard, looking between him and the door. Finally a hand was placed on his shoulder, and he found his feet moving slowly towards the end of the hall where the closed door sat like an omen of his future.

His hand stayed on the cold handle for a long second, catching his breath and steadying his nerves, knowing that whatever lay beyond this was far more intimidating then anything he had ever been up against before. Shakily, his hands turned the cold doorknob, already hearing the clinks, whirls, and beeps of modern medicine machines behind the metal door. His comrades presence behind him gave him strength to creep the door open.

His eyes landed first, to a young boy, curled up in the corner closest to the door, his elbows on his knees. His head in the crook of his elbow. The smell of salt, from the tears being shed permeated the room, filling his sensitive nose with a stinging sensation. His vision took in the room gradually, roaming from the nightstand sitting between two chairs; the older woman sitting slumped over in her chair, chin on her chest; and an elderly man that sat with his head in his hands, elbows on his knees. He took a deep breath, preparing himself for the next sight. Machines met his eyes at first. Heart monitors. Breath counts. All sorts of high tech equipment that he couldn't begin to label. His eyes fell to the small woman laying in the large hospital bed and his breath caught. He felt himself fall forward, off balance, crashing to the world of reality and the unforgiving ground before strong hands caught him under the arms, helping him stand straight up again. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the occupant's head's lift, disrupted from their thoughts by the sounds he made. Before he could see much more, his eyes filled with tears, disabling his vision as he stumbled toward the broken girl.

Kagome...

Her face had swollen up at the cheek bones, giving away her broken cheek. Her eyes had sunken into her head, and her face was white as snow. Her body was propped up against the pillows and long bandages ran crisscross across her torso, long strips of blood bleeding through. Her leg was elevated up in a cast. Her legs also had bandages on them, wrapped around her calf and thigh.

"_Almost...almost like she was attacked by a demon..."_ his mind vaguely conjured, as he sat beside her gingerly, taking her hand in both of his. His friends flanked his side, watching him watch her breath slowly, in and out, as though it was forced.

"Yusuke..." The older woman spoke up from the other side of the bed, neither him nor his friends noticing she had moved. He turned toward her, his tears splattering his cheeks from the movement. Her own tears spilled over her black lashes, her hand grasping at her heart. Her sobs wretched out of her chest visibly, and Yusuke quickly moved around the bed to her, grabbing her fiercely, and hugging the sobs away. She cried for minutes on end in his chest, unable to do anything but hold on for dear life.

When her sobs quieted, and she was able to compose herself, she turned toward the young man and looked at his two friends, still flanking the bedside. Hurriedly, he introduced them. "Aunt Higarashi, these are my friends, Kurama, and Kuwabara. They came with me to help support me." He explained softly. Each boy gave a respectful nod, much to morose at the family scene before them to do much more.

"Aunty...what happened to her?" he asked, placing his hands on her shoulders, begging her to tell him everything. Her eyes closed for a second, before taking a deep shuddering breath, and looking back at her other family, watching the exchange with weepy eyes. When her attention turned there, so did Yusuke's. Immediately he stepped away from his aunt and opened his arms to the scrawny boy that had yet to move and sat crying silently in his corner. The boy leaped up and flung himself into Yusuke's arms, sobbing violently into his midsection, his small arms wrapped around his waist as tight as they could. Yusuke's face set into a grim line, knowing the boy thought that this could be the end for the vibrant young woman in the hospital bed. Yusuke turned his head toward his friends, and sent a silent nod their way. Before he could find a way to tell his aunt his plan, she spoke up. "Yusuke... the reason I called you here, was not because I think they cannot help her...although of that I am still unsure. But I called you because not so long ago, on your last visit at the shrine, Kagome said she felt...well she said she felt..." Mrs. Higarashi paused a second, trying to find a way to voice her daughters prior knowledge to her nephew. He put a silent hand on her shoulder. "Aunty, whatever Kagome had said, you can tell me. It's ok." When Mrs. Higarashi looked up into her nephews eyes, she decided to just spit it out. "She said she felt some demonic energy growing within you." she said firmly. A stoney silence followed her words. Yusuke felt his friends shift uneasily behind him, and he steeled his voice. "How did she know about demonic energy Kun-loon?" He looked her hard in the eye.

"Well... that is something that comes with the explaining of how she got those injuries. But Yusuke... I...we... need your help." Kun-loon said vehemently. Looking to him, and back to her son who had just let go of Yusuke, in favor to back away and scratch the back of his head.

Yusuke was taken aback, his whole family knew about demons? He looked at his friends who had wide eyes, and similar disbelieving looks. Slowly they walked toward the other side of the bed. "First, ma'am may I ask, do you trust me to heal her in an...unconventional way?" Kurama asked slowly, and politely as he could, approaching the family like they would run at any given second.

"What kind of unconventional?" The boy asked, stepping closer to his sister, to try and protect her from the calm redhead. Kurama stepped back and put his hands up in a surrendering position.

" I have the soul of a kitsune in me, and with his power, I can manipulate healing powers." he said calmly, eying the family waiting for a reaction over the top.

At the family's silence, Kurama thought he had misjudged the situation. When he was getting ready to backtrack and maybe get the memory seed out of his hair, the woman spoke up.

"Well why didn't you say so? Go ahead, just heal her!" Mrs. Higarashi bit out, scared that her baby girl could have been healed minutes ago. After Kurama got to work on her, Kun-loon turn backed to her nephew. "As I was saying Yusuke, I need your help. How involved are you in demons?" she asked, her eyes firm, leaving no room for lies. Yusuke stumbled over his words, staring at his aunt, wondering how much to tell her. With a slight sigh, Kun-loon blurted it out. "What I'm asking Yusuke, is would you be willing and able to protect Kagome, and kill the demon that did this too her?" she asked, staring him dead in the eye.

"Of course!" Yusuke's eyes burned with righteous indignation. "Who the fuck is the asshole, and how do I find him?" He demanded, adrenaline pumping at the thought of getting to avenge his baby cousin.

"His name is Inuyasha. And you'll find him 500 years in the past."

* * *

AN: Heres the first chapter of my first story. It's kind of a working thought, but the muse just wouldn't let me go until I got it down. So I figured if this sounded like a good story to others, I'd continue. Please let me know!

Thanks!


	2. Drop Everything and Go

Family First

AN: Wow. I really wasn't expecting people to like the story that fast. But when I saw the feedback, I did a little Jim Carey reactment of The Mask: "They like me! They really like me!" ***proceeds to sob* **ahem. Anyways. I had the second chapter ready, so here we go!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho.

"_Hiei thoughts" as well as "everyone else's thoughts"_

"**Yoko thoughts"**

"Kurama thoughts"

You could hear a pin drop in the room after Kun-loon's statement. Yusuke's mind was going a mile a minute, trying to figure out how that was possible. When Kun-loon's eyes darted toward Kurama, so did his. His friend had stepped away from his cousin, a small smile on his face at his handy work. Yusuke quickly inspected Kagome, taking in her breathing, the small heaves of her chest that didn't looked so forced, noticing her face was no longer swollen and bruised and the blood on her bandages were starting to dry.

Yusuke turned back towards his aunt, desperate for some answers. "What do you mean… 500 years in the past? I've heard a lot of things Aunty, but I've never heard anything like that."

Kun-loon looked down, refusing to meet his eyes. "You remember the old well shed that I never let you two play in at kids? And you got so mad at me when I boarded it up?"

Yusuke shuffled wondering what the hell that had to do with his question. "Ya, I remember Aunty, but-"  
"Well, on Kagome's 15 birthday, they thought the cat had gotten in there and Kagome went in. Something came out of the well and attacked her, dragging her back into the well…and 500 years in the past. Because of this.. This… jewel, that Kagome was born with in her body, she can travel back and forth, and has been for 5 years now, because she accidentally broke the jewel after the demon bit it out of her body, and well.. To make a really long story short, she's been trying to gather all these shattered jewel pieces before some bad guy gets them and destroys the world. For a long time, she had the protection of a half-demon named Inuyasha, but when we found her at the bottom of the well after we heard an explosion, she kept saying 'Inuyasha, no please don't'."

To say the three boys were stunned is an understatement. Yusuke looked at his grandpa, Souta, looking for anything that said 'jokes on you'. But there was none. Kun-loon took a deep breath in, looking between the three boys, begging them to believe her. Kurama stepped around the bed. "Ma'am if you don't mind me asking, what is the name of this jewel?"

Knu-loon thought for a minute but suddenly the older man in the chair stepped up and looked Kurama square in the eye. "You say you're a demon huh? Well chew on this- it's called the Shikon No Tama. You are looking at the Shikon Priestess."

After his proclamation Kurama gasped, and took a step back, looking between the man and the young woman lying on the bed. "But, but you must be mistaken, the half demon prince never turned on her!" He stated looking back at the old man.

"Or so the legend is told, which is an indication that something has gone horribly wrong somewhere along the way." He nodded solemnly, walking up to his granddaughter and patting her foot.

"Wait gramps. Are you talking about that fairytale you told to Kags and me when we were little about the heroine and her friends that saved the world from a man who sold his soul for power?" Yusuke exclaimed, remembering suddenly why this sounded so very familiar.

Grandpa nodded, closing his eyes. "The story has been passed down for generations, but for my own Kagome to be the Shikon Miko…" He sighed and looked at Yusuke. "She has to go back. But she can't go alone. She no longer has protection, and he grasps her heart. He will deceive her Yusuke, and I only trust you to keep her safe." Grandpa's eyes steeled and Yusuke felt his stomach drop at the implications of his statements.

"I promise Gramps, I'll kee-" He was cut short when all eyes turned to Kagome.

She was waking up.

Everyone waited with bated breath as she stirred, and then opened her eyes.

**Kagome**

The last thing I remember was pain. I really don't want to move if I was in pain not that long ago. So first a hand, and then my head, and my mouth. Well, it can't be that bad. I started to open my eyes, but damn! That light is so bright. Alright now, slowly… everything's all hazy, but I instantly realize I'm not alone. Blinking through the haze, the first person I see is Yusuke. _What the hell? Am I dreaming? _

"Yusuke…?" I realized after I said it I sounded like a 90 year old smoker. But instantly, Yusuke was beside me, holding my hand, caressing my hair.  
"How you doing cuz? You feeling alright? Man am I glad to see you're ok." His face was so sincere, he was so concerned that I know my face must have looked like a puzzle. And then it hit me._ I'm in the hospital. Oh God… Inuyasha…_

Despite myself I felt the tears welling in my eyes. As much as I didn't want my cousin to worry, the memories hit me like a wall and all I felt was pain. The way he looked at me, the horrible things he said… the searing pain that ripped my body..

I looked down at my body expecting to see a mangled half-corpse.

"My uh, friend here, Kurama is an avatar with a kitsune. He uh… healed your wounds." Yusuke sounded sheepish. I looked around and noticed my family standing around the bed, but in the background, there stood two strangers, silent and smiling politely. Trying to find the avatar, I felt at their aura's, listening to the two gasp, and finding the inner fox in the redhead, I smiled politely.

"Thank you very much sir." I mustered, trying to sound a little more like me and not so…old.

"It was nothing miss. I'm glad I could help." He smiled back politely and gave a small bow of respect.

Turning back to Yusuke, I started to search for the words to explain how I got such wounds when it hit me… _Avatar? Kitsune?_

I stared at Yusuke, and then at the avatar, and turned my attention to the one with orange hair, and looked closer at his aura. _Spirit power? What is this?!_

I opened my mouth to fire questions but Yusuke cut me off.

"Nope. I'll answer those questions later. First, did Inuyasha do this to you? And second, I'm going back with you."

He sounded so matter of fact that I didn't know what to say for a second. I looked at mom and she just stared at me, daring me to question her. _Uhoh… I know that look.._

Looking back at Yusuke I knew I wasn't getting out of this one. _'Did Inuyasha do this to you?' _I didn't know how to answer. I wanted to say no, he would never hurt me, it was all just a dream. He's my hero… my best friend… my rescuer… he's my everything…

I felt the tears falling down my cheeks but I could do nothing to stop them. Once they started coming, they just wouldn't stop. _Inuyasha…how could you do this to me?_

**Yusuke**

Seeing her tears was almost too much for me. I glanced back at my friends only to see the same look on their faces. _This bastard is going to die. _Kagome looked away from me, hoping to hide her tears. That's all the answer I need. Standing up I pulled her close and kissed the top of her head.

"I need to go set things in order for me to leave. I love you cuz, hang in there. I'll be back before night fall."

She sniffed and nodded, still not meeting my eyes. I grabbed her chin gently, forcing her to look at me. Her bright blue eyes shined with tears as she looked at me, pain so clear it cut right through my heart.

"He will never hurt you again Kagome. I'm here for you now."

Without waiting for a response I turned and left, hugging Souta and Aunty, whispering words of comfort and promises of coming back. Shaking gramps hand, he looked me firmly in the eyes and nodded shortly.

Turning to my friends I nodded for us to leave and with that, we turned and walked out the door.

We were silent walking down the hospital halls, passing people till we were out on the sidewalk, walking back towards the residential area of town. Finally, Kuwabara spoke, breaking the silent rage boiling inside.

"I want to go with you Yusuke. You shouldn't have to do this alone, and that poor girl didn't deserve what that bastard did to her." He said it so confidentially; it left no room for question. With that Kurama nodded.

"I agree Yusuke, I think we should talk to Koema, and make him let us all go. I think going 500 years into the past is something that needs to be a group effort, especially if we are to protect the Shikon Miko."

I didn't say anything. I didn't know if I wanted my team getting involved. "This is a family thing. I don't think Koema is going to let you all go. He's going to be pissed that I'm going but he can kiss my ass if he thinks he's going to tell me no." The more I talked the madder I got. _How dare that bastard hurt my sweet innocent cousin! She fucking trusted him! That bastard… If Koema even thinks of telling me no I'll pound his baby ass into the ground! I-_

Kuwabara interrupted my inner ranting. "Well if it has to do with an important bit of history, isn't that part of our job too? If all three of us want to go, he can't tell us no, and we can just drag shorty along even if he doesn't want to go! This isn't just your problem Yusuke, you care about her, therefore we're going to be there for you! A team never lets a member down!"

Despite my anger I couldn't help but smile. "Fine, I'll need someone to take my anger out on anyways!" Grabbing him in a head lock, I wrestled him down the street.

**Kagome**

The nurses and doctors just couldn't believe it. I didn't realize how close I was to death, until the doctors clued me in that there was talk of pulling the plug soon. _How long was I in here for?_

I saved my questions. My family could answer them when these so call professionals quite fussing over me and let me go. My doctor left a few minutes ago, after mom put in the request for me to leave. Knowing he would probably say no, I was steeling myself to put my foot down when he comes back.

Finally, he walked in with a chart in his hand shaking his head. Smiling politely I could tell he was trying to find a reason to keep me. "Well it sure is a miracle. She seems perfectly fine! However, I don't think she should leave just yet; we want to keep her over night for observations and tests. Try and figure out how she miraculously fixed her whole body and of course, make sure she stays that way."

"No." I said, quietly but firmly. He didn't need to hear the rasp in my voice. "I am fine. You see that with your own two eyes and with your machines. I am going home, now." I left no room for argument, glaring at him with my strongest look. Staggering back, he stumbled for words, trying to find a way around my protest. Sighing, I started with the closes wire and started pulling. He shouted his protest, but he came no closer. When all the needles and wires were out of me I leaped off the bed, reaching for the coat my mother was holding out to me and looked at my doctor.

"Thank you sir, for helping me heal, and taking such good care of me. But if you excuse me, I'll be on my way now."

And with that, I walked out the door, my family trailing out behind me.

The trip home was a silent one, but Souta clung to me in the back seat, not saying a word. _Poor thing, he was probably worried sick. He is always trying to protect me. Just like Inuyasha. Inuyasha was his hero.. The poor kid…_

We didn't say much till we got inside, the house was cold and dark like no one had been here in a few days so my first line of duty was to turn on the heater. Before the questions started, I raced upstairs and changed into sweats and a tank top.

Looking at my torso, only thin lines marked where his claws had dug so ferociously into me. Here come the tears again. Throwing my shirt on quickly, I combed my hair and washed my face, hoping to steady my nerves before I went down to face my family. They all counted on him… trusted him.. How do I explain his change?

We sat around the table in silence, tea cups in our hand, no on willing to open their mouth first. Finally, my mom opened her mouth to speak, but it was Souta that cried out.

"I want to go back with you! I don't want you to go alone!" he cried, tears springing to his eyes as he slammed his mug down. "I want to make sure that baka never hurts you again!"

"Souta… you know you can't go back with me, it's too dangerous. Plus, I'm not alone. Yusuke promised to go back with me, and I still have Sango and Miroku…" Trying to calm down my hysterical brother it dawned on me that I might not have Sango and Miroku. _If he hurt them.. Oh God I have to get back… _Trying to stay calm myself I looked at my mom for help with him.

"She's right Souta, you must stay here. You're too young to-"

"But mom I'm 14! I'm almost as old as Kagome was!" he shouted trying desperately to win an argument everyone was against.

"My answer is no Souta." My mom said, quiet authority in her voice, but she didn't look up from her teacup.

"It's not fair! Why can't I go? Why can't I protect her! I don't want to lose my sister!" His tears streamed down his face as he bowed his head, sobs coming to his throat. I figured it was my turn to step in again.

"Souta you're not going to lose me. If you came, you would worry me every time we went into battle. You would be a liability, and all my enemies can smell that we're related. You CAN'T protect me Souta! You need to stay here where I know your safe, and I can fight to come back to you."

His eyes were daggers when he looked at me. "I can't believe you! If you die over there I'll never forgive you!" And with that, he ran out of the room, up the stairs, slamming his bedroom door.

I heard my mom sigh. Looking between her and gramps, I knew what came next.

"You know your brother didn't mean that. He's just upset. And scared. We all are Kagome. I would ask you not to go back, but I know it would be a waste of breath. But I would like to know what happened. What you're facing when you go back. And please. Don't spare us. We need to know if you'll come back to us."

The pain in my mother's voice almost brought me to tears. I know all these years of fighting have caused them so much strife. So much worry. But yet, there's nothing I can do about it. I MUST go back.

"Inuyasha… has been changing recently. We have always fought, we have always called each other names, but recently he started getting…violent about it. His visits to Kikyo started getting more frequent. One night, he came back from seeing her and woke me up to make him food. Well, I was mad. I told him where he could shove it, and rolled back over. He picked me up by my shoulders and shook me, screaming in my face. Then he threw me to the ground."

I could feel the tears welling up and rolling down my cheeks as I talked. I didn't want to continue, but I owed my family this much.

"We got into a huge fight that woke the whole camp up. Screaming back and forth he said some really hurtful things to me. I knew it was going to make me cry so I took off into the woods. But I heard Miroku say before I was out of earshot, 'You really should go after her Inuyasha, she shouldn't be out there alone, and you really were too harsh.' So I knew he would come for me. I ran till I got to the open clearing by the well, and sat down on the wells lip. It wasn't long until he showed. He walked up to me silently; I thought he was just ashamed of himself. But… then he started laughing. He told me, he had been waiting to get me alone for a while now. That my time there was over. He had had enough of my shi- er, crap. I tried to talk to him, at first I wasn't scared. But then he grabbed me. And I knew this wasn't my Inuyasha anymore… he reached for my jewel shards around my neck but I grabbed them and threw them into the well. So he slapped me. Hard. I couldn't see out of my left eye, and then I knew I was in trouble. After that… to be honest it was all quite a blur to me. After he tore into me, he threw me to the ground. I knew my only hope of escaping was through the well. He laughed at me but I remembered all of a sudden the Sit command and sat him, until I could get to the well. He grabbed my leg as I was falling into the well but then I sat him again and then…everything just went black."

Both my grandpa and mom were crying silently by the time I was done.

"I…I need to go check on the well. See if my jewel shards came through with me or not." I started to get up, I couldn't handle their tears. But then grandpa pulled out a necklace from his inner shirt. It was my jewel shards!

"I figured there was a reason they were on the ground, and I knew they were better with me then on the ground." he said with a smile. To be honest I didn't know what to say. I was just so thankful.

"I want you to promise me something child." He said after I took them and sat back down.

"Anything gramps."

"Don't let your heart rule your head. Or your instincts. You're a beautiful girl Kagome, inside and out. And you'll want to forgive him for what he did to you. Promise an old man you won't forgive him."

His voice was so tough, so old, he sounded scared despite his stern warning. But his eyes pleaded with me and I know he's right.

"I promise grandpa."

**Yusuke**

"You're going where!?" Keiko screamed flailing her arms around like a lunatic.

"I told you already! I'm going to the past to protect my little cousin! Jeesh woman quit acting so crazy!" I yelled back, tired of her antics and just wanting to get back to Kagome.

"So you're just going to leave me?! Again! Yusuke how dare you! This isn't even a mission! Your just being an over protective cousin! You don't need to go she can do it on her-"  
I stepped up real close to her, deadly written all over my face.

"She was nearly killed Keiko. If I hadn't shown up with Kurama, she would be DEAD right now. Do you get that? I'm going, and you are going to shut up about it."

I stepped away already smelling the salt of her tears. But I turned my back anyways and continued packing. With a sob she ran out of the room and threw herself on the couch. I know I was too harsh on her. My want to get to my cousin makes dealing with her tantrum difficult. So I finished packing and set my bag by the door. Walking into the living room I instantly felt guilty at the sounds of her sobs and sniffles. Sitting down beside her I rubbed her back gently.

"Hey… look I'm sorry I was so mean earlier. I didn't mean to get so cruel. But babe. You gotta understand. When life with my mom was too hard as a child, Aunty would take me for weeks at a time. Kagome was my lifeline for a long time. Up until I died, I was always there for her, just as she was always there for me. She would keep me out of fights, and I would keep the boys away from her, and fight for her honor. We were as close as ever. I saw her nearly every weekend. When I died… I kinda forgot about her. I saw her a few times, but she always looked the same. More beautiful and grown every time, but always the same innocent cousin that I had always been there for. I thought she didn't need me anymore…so I left her alone. Partly because I didn't want to drag her into our world, and partly because I was always just so busy. To find out that this whole time she needed me more than anything… I can't help but feel guilty. I need to help her Keiko. She needs me."

Keiko was silent for a minute, and I thought that maybe she wouldn't forgive me for snapping at her. But then she turned to look at me with a smile on her face. Tears still stained her face, but she wasn't crying anymore.

"Go ahead Yusuke, you know I'm just being selfish. I'm sorry for the things I said. Please be careful ok? And come home soon."

Standing at the bottom of the temple, we stood looking at the stairs that were even more daunting the Genkai's.

"Aww man, how are we supposed to get up those!?" Kuwabara instantly started complaining. Hiei jumped up the stairs 20 at a time, while Kurama started a steady pace up them, hands shoved into his pockets, taking in the forest surrounding the grounds. Looking at Kuwabara, I grinned.

"I bet I can beat you up them!" And then the race was on.

We reached the top of the stairs panting and laughing, Kurama and Hiei waiting for us. Kuwabara fell to the ground in a tired heap while I tried to catch my breath. Just as I was about to make a smart ass remark about Kurama beating us I heard yelling.

"But mom I'm 14! I'm almost as old as Kagome was!"

"My answer is no Souta."

I knew instantly it was Aunty and Souta. I crept up to the kitchen window my three friends in step behind me.

"It's not fair! Why can't I go? Why can't I protect her! I don't want to lose my sister!"

"Souta you're not going to lose me. If you came, you would worry me every time we went into battle. You would be a liability, and all my enemies can smell that we're related. You CAN'T protect me Souta! You need to stay here where I know your safe, and I can fight to come back to you."

Kagome's voice was so calm, so matter of fact; you would never know she was talking about her own life.

"I can't believe you! If you die over there I'll never forgive you!"

I heard him pounding up the stairs and a door slamming. I looked back at my friends who all shuffled their eyes feeling guilty for listening. Just as I was about to move from the window, Aunty spoke up.

"You know your brother didn't mean that. He's just upset. And scared. We all are Kagome. I would ask you not to go back, but I know it would be a waste of breath. But I would like to know what happened. What your facing when you go back. And please. Don't spare us. We need to know if you'll come back to us."

I held my breath, hoping to get the answers that have racked my brain all day. Finally, when Kagome spoke, her voice that had been so calm minutes before was shaky and pain filled.

"Inuyasha… has been changing recently. We have always fought, we have always called each other names, but recently he started getting…violent about it. His visits to Kikyo started getting more frequent. One night, he came back from seeing her and woke me up to make him food. Well, I was mad. I told him where he could shove it, and rolled back over. He picked me up by my shoulders and shook me, screaming in my face. Then he threw me to the ground."

When I smelled salt, I felt rage boiling up. I balled up my fist till I felt blood drip off my hand. Kurama put his hand on my shoulder, trying to help me stay calm.

"We got into a huge fight that woke the whole camp up. Screaming back and forth he said some really hurtful things to me. I knew it was going to make me cry so I took off into the woods. But I heard Miroku say before I was out of earshot, 'You really should go after her Inuyasha, she shouldn't be out there alone, and you really were too harsh.' So I knew he would come for me. I ran till I got to the open clearing by the well, and sat down on the wells lip. It wasn't long until he showed. He walked up to me silently; I thought he was just ashamed of himself. But… then he started laughing. He told me, he had been waiting to get me alone for a while now. That my time there was over. He had had enough of my shi- er, crap. I tried to talk to him, at first I wasn't scared. But then he grabbed me. And I knew this wasn't my Inuyasha anymore… he reached for my jewel shards around my neck but I grabbed them and threw them into the well. So he slapped me. Hard. I couldn't see out of my left eye, and then I knew I was in trouble. After that… to be honest it was all quite a blur to me. After he tore into me, he threw me to the ground. I knew my only hope of escaping was through the well. He laughed at me but I remembered all of a sudden the Sit command and sat him, until I could get to the well. He grabbed my leg as I was falling into the well but then I sat him again and then…everything just went black."

I could barely breathe. I saw red. How dare that asshole.. I'll kill him. I'll fucking kill him. Kurama's hand squeezed my shoulder warning me not to do anything rash. I heard a chair scrap against the floor and for a second I thought we were caught.

"I…I need to go check on the well. See if my jewel shards came through with me or not."

I started to move so she wouldn't see us but then she gasped. Pausing, I wished I could see what was going on.

"I figured there was a reason they were on the ground, and I knew they were better with me then on the ground."

The chair scrapped against the ground again and I relaxed.

"I want you to promise me something child."

"Anything gramps."

"Don't let your heart rule your head. Or your instincts. You're a beautiful girl Kagome, inside and out. And you'll want to forgive him for what he did to you. Promise an old man you won't forgive him."

"I promise grandpa."

My friends and I moved away from the kitchen window and towards the front door as quietly as possible. However before I could knock, the door opened and my little cousin stood in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest.

"You know it's not very polite to listen to other people's private conversations." She said, eyebrow raised, toe tapping.

I shuffled, not meeting her hawk eyes, trained on me.

"Well… um… well if you guys weren't yelling I wouldn't have noticed!"

Instantly I felt bad. The look on her face fell and she looked away.  
"Souta gets a little upset. I'm sorry."

"Good job Urameshi…" I heard Kuwabara murmur at me. Looking back I saw my friends shaking their heads at me.

"Well might as well come in, why are your friends here Yuyu?" she said opening the door wide enough to let us pass.

"Yuyu huh? That's an interesting uhh… nickname." Kurama snickered behind me, causing Kuwabara to laugh at me.  
Turning around I was getting ready to punch their faces in when Kagome grabbed my arm.

"Hey save the violence for the bad guys ok?"

Again my friends started to laugh, until she cleared her throat and raised her eyebrows.

"Excuse me. You're in my house. He has had that nickname since he was a baby, so unless you would like to show yourselves out, show some respect."  
Hiei started to turn around to walk out the door till Kurama stopped him. Kagome looked at me and shook her head.

"Well I know why they're your friends, care to introduce us properly Yusuke?"

Clearing my throat I started with Kuwabara and moved to Kurama and Hiei.

"The big oaf over here is Kuwabara. If he asks you to be his girlfriend, knock him out. The redhead, you know, is Kurama, and the little short guy in the back is Hiei, he's a prick don't mind him."  
Next thing I know I'm getting hit. Hard.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?!"

"Yusuke I don't know your friends, be nice and let me make my own opinions of them you big bully!"

"I'm not a bully! I'm telling you the truth! Damn you woman always accusing me of shit I didn't do!"

"Excuse me Yusuke but since when is that sort of language allowed in my house?"

_Ahhhh shit._

"Sorry Aunty…"

"What a family." Kuwabara said, talking to Kurama.

I shot a glare at the two, but that didn't stop Kurama from remarking, "Well we know his violent temper runs in his family, even if they conduct themselves better." At that my friends all smiled. Ignoring them so I didn't get in any more trouble, I turned back to Aunty just in time to see her open her arms wide for a hug. When I leaned down to hug her, she murmured in my ear, "This means the world to me Yusuke." before releasing me. I could feel my face start to heat so I made a quick getaway into the kitchen to greet gramps, leaving my snickering friends and psycho family in the entryway.

**Kagome **

I took the time to quickly appraise Yusuke's friends a little better than I could in the hospital. The man named Kuwabara was indeed human, much like Miroku with the strength of his holy powers. Moving back to the avatar his keen eyes were already trained on me, as if he knew what I was doing. I felt my face heating up but I couldn't break his gaze. If he saw that I was weak I would lose before I began. His souls entwined within him, swirling red and silver and for a second I could have sworn he was reaching out to me. Instead of appeasing his curiosity, I moved onto the last man. Of the three, he looked the most dangerous. His aura swirled violently. For a second I was confused. _'Three auras? How is that possible?' _But then his eyes met mind and I knew if I dug any deeper I would be in trouble. His demeanor screamed "Fuck with me and I'll kill you". Not a great prospect. So instead I shot him a bright smile that extended to the other two after a second; "Should we follow the pouting child into the kitchen?" Without waiting for their response, I turned on my heal and followed mom into the kitchen after Yusuke.

**Kurama **

"**What an interesting human Red… I am quite glad you healed her. She had a lot of fire."** Yoko purred, the excitement of someone new reverberating through their shared head.

"This is Yusuke's cousin Yoko, you can't go messing with her, not if you value our friendship with him." Kurama replied, trying desperately to stop this before it started.

"**Yusuke's cousin or not, she is interesting, she is a woman of legends Red, she has miko powers, do you know how rare that is?"** Yoko failed to get Kurama's message, getting more and more excited by the minute.

"_She is dangerous fox, she could kill you with one look." A_ voice invaded their head, raining on Yoko's parade only for a second.

"**Ahhh yes but the more danger the more fun, aren't I right my little firecracker**?" he purred.

"_Hn."_

Tuning out his counter partner, Kurama followed after the small woman in front of them, wondering not for the first time, what this little adventure had in store for them.

* * *

In the kitchen Kagome pinned Yusuke with a hard look. "You know, it is one thing for you to decide to butt yourself into this, but dragging your friends into this isn't acceptable Yusuke. You can't put them in danger for my issues."

Everyone had gathered around the table, minus Souta, and no sooner did they all take their seat did Kagome lay into Yusuke.

"With all due respect ma'am-" Kurama tried to cut in but Kagome was having none of it. She turned her glare on him and held up a hand.

"For one, you guys don't even know what you're getting yourselves into. I appreciate you all trying to play hero to the poor damsel in distress, but you cannot come with me. I'm not sure how much you all know, but it is not nearly enough." She said, looking them all in the eye.

"HA! There isn't anything you can do about it now. I put it into the baby I work for and he's sending all of us. It's our job, so you can't say no." Yusuke bragged, leaning away from the table and crossing his arms.

"Excuse me? Your boss? What the hell are you talking about Yusuke? What exactly have you been doing these last few years?" She asked, mimicking his stance as her eyes narrowed on his grinning face.

"Ma'am, we work for the demi-god Koema in the spirit world. We have been requested as defenders of the three realms to aid you in your quest. I belive that answer your most immediate questions as far as us coming along as well." Kurama butted in, trying to smooth the conversation out as much as possible. When Kagome looked at him, he tried a tentative smile. She blinked owlishly, and looked back at Yusuke.

"So that's what happened to you huh?" She said softly. When Yusuke's grin faded and he scratched the back of his head she smiled softly. She looked over the three companions of her cousin one more time; Kurama's tentative smile as if he was trying to coax a scared animal, Kuwabara's wide grin that said he was ready and willing, and Hiei's bored eyes resting anywhere but on her, her smile widened. Turning back to Yusuke she reached across the table and took his hand. When his eyes met hers, she simply said "Thank you." With that, she turned and announced that she needed to pack a few things, leaving the kitchens' occupants to watch her go in silence.

* * *

AN: Okay. Whew. That chapter was much longer. But you know how it goes, lots to get out of the way. Since this is my first story, I'll be doing a lot of experimenting with what style I like to write in. Please bare with me! And please, please, let me know what aspects you like and do not like. I'm currently writing chapter three, but I'm not sure when I'll release it.

Thank you so much for reviewing the first chapter! It gave me the courage to post this chapter, bwahaha. Now, on to a few specifics from the reviews:

Cade213: Oh man, me too. I read so much of it that I couldn't possibly drag it out any longer that I had to. Haha plus, this is (hopefully) going to be a really well drawn out story, and we're just getting started, might as well get to the good stuff (: Thank you for your insight!

Takersgirl519: Thank you! That's what I'm going for. (: I really want you guys to feel as connected to them as I am. As for when I'll update next, that's a complicated answer. I had this chapter written, and I'm in the middle of the next chapter, BUT I work three jobs and go to school full time. As much as I want to update daily, it's not realistic with my schedule haha so please, bare with me! I'll try not to be a total lag (: Thank you so much for your review!

Thank you guys again!


	3. The Fire that Burns the Heart

Family First

Disclaimer:  
I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho.

_"Hiei thoughts" also "everyone else's thoughts as dictated by sentence"  
_**"Yoko thoughts"**  
"Kurama thoughts"

AN: Another chapter? Three in 48 hours? Man, I'm setting the bar way too high here. I THINK I caught all of my grammar mistakes, names, and spelling but I may be mistaken. If not, please forgive me! This is a shorter chapter, but here you go!

Chapter 3: The Fire That Burns the Heart

Everyone watched the priestess walk into the other room before anyone moved. Kun-loon sighed before moving toward the pantry.

"What do you boys like to eat? I've got a bunch of easy foods, what do you guys want me to pack?" She called over her shoulder. Yusuke got up at the mention of food and proceeded to help prep food.

Kurama turned to grandpa, moodily staring into his cup of tea. "Excuse me sir, but it would be helpful to us if we knew more about the man who did this; what he looks like, his mannerisms, his fighting style, anything that might give us the upper hand." Gramps looked up from his tea and sighed.

"Well, I don't know much, besides the fact that he is a half demon, long silver hair, dog ears on his head. His weapon of choice is a sword that transforms into a magnificent powerful contraption. He uhh…" Gramps trailed off scratching his head to try to remember all he could about the demon.

"He's strong. Really strong. He goes up against really powerful demons and wins all the time. He can strike down a hundred demons in one stroke of his sword. He plays the innocent lost puppy act. He fooled my sister into loving him. His human night is the night of the new moon." A quiet voice came from behind them. Kurama turned around to face the same boy from the hospital room. Tear streaks streamed down the sides of his face, but his eyes screamed hatred. Kurama bent down on his hunches and put a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Thank you very much. We will use this information to protect your sister with our lives." Giving the boy a gentle smile, Kurama rose and turned toward the kitchen's occupants that was watching him. He gave an uneasy smile and sat back down.

"_Why do you feel the need to protect her fox?" _Hiei's voice rolled through his head.

"I am unsure, she just seems so fragile, yet pretends to be so strong. It seems almost natural to want to protect her." Kurama replied, turning inwards to Yoko for answers.

"**Red you have to admit, it is weird that a demon wishes to protect his natural enemy, the miko, but I agree, it is almost instinctual to want to protect her."** He replied quietly.

"_Hn. She's a miko. She needs to be killed before she kills us, not protected." _Hiei replied before promptly disconnecting from the mental conversation.

Despite disconnecting the mental conversation, Hiei continued to stew over the avatars' point. _"Despite what I know is right, the fox speaks the truth. She calls for me to protect her. Hn. A trickery of the priestess so she can get her way." _Hiei thought, curling his hand into a fist at the thought. _"But her aura seems so pure… How is that possible?"_

Souta walked out of the room to go back to sulking and silence insured again. Ku-loon and Yusuke busied themselves preparing food, and everyone else was lost in their own thoughts. No one even noticed the footsteps down the hall or Kagome entering the room. It wasn't until she set her giant yellow bag down besides gramps that anyone noticed her at all. She appraised the room slightly before snorting.

"With the way you are all acting, you would think I did die." she said before grabbing the just-packed bags of food and shoving them in her already overstuffed bag. In just a few short hours she had gone from dying a hospital bed, to a fragile, broken-hearted girl; to the war-ready warrior decked in armor and radiating confidence standing in front of them. The spirit detectives looked on in a semblance of awe at the woman stoutly packing her bags. Packing finished, Yusuke took her overstuffed bag out of her hand. Staring into her eyes, he mentally assessed her readiness before asking; "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Despite the sadness that screamed out from her eyes, they hardened with determination. "Of course I am. There are still people who need me back there." Without meeting anyone else's eye, she pushed past Yusuke to her mother. Coming face to face with her mother was the hardest part. Her mother stood with her arms wrapped around her midsection, as if trying to hold herself together. Kagome felt a pang of guilt for putting her mother through this. _"They were never supposed to see me like that…" _she thought sadly as wrapped her mother in a hug. "I'll be okay mama, you don't need to worry. You know Yusuke is going to protect me. And with his friends too, he'll never get to me again." She spoke to her quietly, as if soothing a frightened child.

Sniffing, Knu-loon hugged her daughter tightly, but said nothing for a long minute. Finally, with resignation, she murmured, "Come back to us, Kagome." before squeezing her daughter and pulling away. With a nod, Kagome stayed quiet. Turning back to the team of men watching on awkwardly, she smiled bravely. "If you guys are ready, we can go." Turning back to mama, she spoke softer; "When Souta comes down, tell him I love him, and I'll see him soon. Lord knows right now, he won't handle saying goodbye well." Ku-Loon nodded, saying nothing. Kissing gramps on the head, she murmured a goodbye, and watched as he did the same: nodded, without a word. With that, they all shuffled out of the kitchen, and out the door.

The air hung heavily on them during the short trek to the well. Kagome heaved the old doors open allowing the old blood to assault their senses like a tidal wave. Instantly, a growl ruptured from Yusuke's chest. Smiling at him sadly, Kagome said nothing about the smell, instead, she took her place at the lip of the well and motioned the guys to form a circle on the well. Just as she was about to instruct the men on how to travel time, she heard footsteps approaching the well at full speed. She turned around, just in time to see her brother come busting through the doors at top speed. Stopping suddenly when he realized they were still in this time, his terrified face crumpled into sobbing tears. Instantly they knew his fear stemmed from thinking he didn't get to say goodbye to his sister before she left him again; and not knowing if he'd ever see her again. Unable to catch his breath from running and unable to control his emotions, he plopped down heavily on the wooden steps as Kagome moved swiftly to take him into her arms. Murmuring comforting words to him, he wrapped his arms around her and sobbed into her chest. Begging her not to go. blubbering words of nonsense that no one could understand through his tears. Kagome sat patiently till he calmed, stroking his hair and rocking him back and forth; her face set into a grimace at her brothers sharp pain. The guys shifted uncomfortably at this display. It was hard enough to handle the short encounter in the kitchen with the adults in the family, but the child's absolute torment and fear, left all the guys unable to handle his out pour of emotions. Sharing an uncomfortable glance all around the circle, they waited for the siblings to have their moment.

When Souta calmed down to a sniffle, Kagome pulled him away from her chest. "I'm coming back Souta, I promise. You can't ask me not to, you know it's not fair. Can you be strong and take care of mom and gramps for me while I'm away?" she asked him softly, brushing his bangs out of his eyes and cupping his face gently. He opened his mouth to protest and shut it again when he realized that she was right. He nodded and hung his head. Kagome kissed his forehead, and whispered something even the demons of the group couldn't hear. Souta nodded, and then she drew back and held out her pinky. He looked at it for a second before bringing his pinky up to wrap it around hers and looking up at her with a watery smile. Returning the smile, Kagome untangled herself slowly and stood. Souta stood and wiped his eyes on the back of his hand. Facing the guys, he put on his most fierce look and proceeded to look every man there in the eye before looking back at Yusuke. "You better bring her home Yusuke, I'm trusting you." Without waiting for a reply, Souta turned and ran back out of the well house, shutting them in the dark.

**Yusuke**

Watching my cousins on the step, I felt another pang of guilt run through me. Kagome looked so strong holding her younger brother in her arms. Her eyes were soft and compassionate, but her face was steeled, from years of holding her emotions together, no doubt in the presence of demons. Taking in her stance, I can tell for the first time, that she held herself much like a warrior, and I can't help but wonder if she willingly became a fighter. _"She was always so kind and gentle.. She wouldn't hurt a flower. But now…" _For a fearful moment, I wondered if I even knew my cousin at all anymore. But then it dawned on me that she didn't really know me either. "_But still.." _Watching her comfort Souta was both endearing and painful. _"I won't let them face this alone anymore." _I vowed, my resolve to kill the monster that did this to my family setting in even harder.

When Souta addressed me, I grimaced. I knew I couldn't let them down. Not this time. But before I could respond, the kid was gone.

**Kurama**

Watching this enigma of a woman was both awe-inspiring and frustrating. She walks, talks, and acts like a warrior; the lethal, graceful movements of her body, her total control of her heartbeat and nervous system, the way she regulates the way she speaks so as to not give away any unwanted information. Everything about her screams the legends Yoko heard about a fierce warrior miko that could kill demons with a single touch. Everything, but her eyes. Her eyes were the only thing that gave her away. They showed her emotions like a window to her soul.

"**She's a puzzle Red. While I am old enough to know that she isn't one to mess with, I will not be deterred in figuring her out." **Yoko's sensual voice rolled through their head as they watched the siblings exchange.

"Yoko, she is an enigma, I will give you that. But I am positive that this mission into the past will unravel her with time. She seems too…friendly to be the miko you told me about in the legends." Kurama replied, keeping his eyes trained on the miko's face.

"**I never met her personally, I was still young. But what I do recall was the notion that demons thought her a god, reigning justice down on them. Stand with her, you stand among the heavens. Stand against her, and it will be your last. I always wanted to meet a human that received that much reverence among our kind." **Yoko thought, practically vibrating with excited energy. **"It also helps that she's a very… attractive human."** He added as a side note, and Kurama could feel the smirk coming from him.

"Yoko, we are not going to approach the situation with that sort of mind frame. She is not a conquest of yours." Kurama stated firmly. The woman in front of them did not seem like some sort of justice god. She seemed like… a human woman. Pretty, but unremarkable besides her eyes. Strong, but there's been stronger. Wise, but not the wisest. So what was it then? What gave her the fairytale-like quality and monster under the bed impression that the legends bestowed upon her? Shaking his head at his counter partner, he once again focused on the woman, now standing.

**Hiei**

"_She has few openings. Despite her easy demeanor, she knows how to defend herself. How did the half-breed wound her then?" _Her display with the human child was pathetic. The blubbering fool acted like this was something new. The miko handled it well, despite the scene. I study her posture, looking for her fighting style and openings in her movements. She gives little away, typical of someone trained in such a time as the feudal era. Her mind as well, is reigned in tight, sealed under barriers of holy power. Not even passing thoughts are accessible easily. Realizing I am once again thinking about the woman in front of me, a sneer forms on my lips_. "Stupid priestess. This is how she draws in her enemies." _Instead I turn my thoughts to the mission ahead of me.

* * *

Kagome gave them a weak smile. "I apologize, I know you guys don't want to deal with that, they're just worried about me. Before this…incident.. They thought I was perfectly safe and they knew little of the danger I've always been in. Every time I've been injured, I've stayed in the past till I healed." Taking her place back at the lip of the well, she smiled again, this time meeting everyone's eyes. "Okay, so every one of you has to be in contact with me in some way, that way when we fall through, you'll have a connection with me." She held out her hands in front of her, and Kuwabara grabbed one while Kurama grabbed the other one. Hiei and Yusuke both touched her shoulder after a moment of hesitation Hiei's part.

Kurama, Kuwabara, and Hiei couldn't deny the shock of warm, welcoming, heat that spread through their hands and up their arms at the contact with the small priestess. Hiei narrowed his eyes at her, suspicious about her effect on him. Kurama, studied her intensely wondering about it as well. Kuwabara stared in wonder at the small woman, unable to understand her, but overjoyed at the welcoming he felt coming from her. Unaffected, Kagome gave them the count of three and all four jumped in the well.

They opened their eyes to a bright blue light, as everyone fell through time. Kagome was so at ease, letting the magic envelop her, a small smile playing on her lips. The guys let the tingly sensation envelop them, but not without reservation. When the blue light faded, they stared up a bright blue sky and they knew they had successfully traveled through time.

Kagome led the way up the side of the well, throwing her pack out the top. She tried to ignore the blood stains on the well and the grass surrounding it. She tried even harder to ignore the claw marks as her hands grabbed the lip of the well and her fingers fell into the four deep grooves on either side of her. Suddenly, she had the image of Inuyasha standing there in front of her, claws deep in the old wood, cursing her existence. The image was so strong in her mind's eye that she froze, her body halfway up, held suspended by her extended arms. She didn't breath as his ghost bound away, his rage trailing behind him and staining the entire clearing with its darkness.

"Kagome? Is everything okay?" Yusuke called up from the bottom of the well. Snapping out of it, she shook her head and threw herself over the side gracefully. "Yep, just checking the area!" She called down, reaching her hand down to help the men out of the well. Hiei and Kurama sprung out gracefully while Yusuke and Kuwabara climbed out in the same fashion as Kagome. Yusuke was the last one out of the well. Wiping his hands on his jeans, he noticed his teammates alarmed expressions as they examined the clearing. Then he took in the blood, all over the outer well, on the ground, in the grass. His blood surged with heated rage. As much as he knew what happened, it was entirely different to see it in person. He gripped his hands into fists and watched as his cousin busied herself, looking anywhere but the ground and their eyes. Suddenly, she froze.

Moving slowly, she made her way to a patch of grass the was flattened and covered in blood. There, in the tall grass were tiny beads, scattered across the ground in a small area. "No.." she whispered, reaching down to the ground to pick up a few of the beads gently, as if they were going to fall apart in her hand. Kuwabara saddled up next to her, poking his head over her crouched form to examine what she was looking at. "What's that Kagome?" He asked curiously. "Inuyasha's subjugation beads… It's what gave him a connection to me in the future, kept his demon side in check, and kept him from attacking me. It's also what saved my life…" she answered quietly. Straightening back up she turned to face Kuwabara and the others, the beads clutched tightly in her hand. Her face betrayed nothing as she smiled tightly, and turned to walk down the well-worn path ahead of them. "Comeon guys, let's get down to the village to see what happened, and we'll go from there."

Everyone fell in line behind her, trailing down the beaten path. Everyone was tight and tense, listening for any sight of an angry dog demon or an attacking foe. But there was nothing. Everything was eerily quite. There were no birds, no small animals, not even the trees made a sound.

"Man, I don't mean to sound like a chicken, but is it always this quiet and creepy?" Kuwabara quipped, rubbing his arms to get rid of the goosebumps that crawled their way up his arms.

"No. It's not. That's what I was afraid of." Kagome answered, her pace picking up just slightly.

The boys followed behind, silently taking in their surroundings until suddenly, the winds changed, blowing their direction. And then- "Kagome. You said we're heading toward a village?" Kurama piped up, alarming them with his sharp, alarmed voice. Kagome turned her head slightly to look back at him. "Yes. What is it? What do you smell?" she asked reading her pack on her shoulder to take a better fighting stance. Kurama was silent for a moment, scaring her even more. "Kagome… the air is tainted with ash. The smell of a recent fire." He spoke more gently this time, unsure how to voice his concern. Kagome stepped dead in her tracks, all her worst nightmares playing through her head at once. "No…" she whispered before she threw the pack off her shoulders and took off in a run.

"Kagome!"

"Kagome wait, don't take off!"

She heard nothing as she took off for the village, her mind zeroing in on her purpose.

"_Please. Please, don't let it be.." _

**Kagome**

The sound of my own heartbeat drove my legs faster, running as hard as I could toward the village that had become my home. Over the well-known roots in the ground. Under that low hanging branch. Faster. _Faster._ Silently, I prayed. Prayed like I hadn't in a very long time. Seeing the crest of the hill, I prayed harder. My feet stopped on their own accord at the edge of the cliff, just before the path down started. At first, it didn't register. Where there were once rice fields, that you could see men and women working in at all hours of the day, there was now nothing but a muckish brown marsh, filled with scent of death and decay. What had once been a beautiful valley with a thriving village, was now a wasteland. Trees lay turned on the ground. Huts, flattened or falling in on themselves. The village square and the headmasters house were flattened, burned to the ground. The ground itself was burned._ No.. that's not burn marks. That's…oh God. No. _Vaguely I heard the guys coming up behind me. Yusuke and Kurama covered their sensitive noses to the smell of death and decay that even I could smell as a human. Bodies, I could now make out bodies in the rubble of a burned down village. Hands, sticking out of the wrecked huts. Men next to their spades and hoes. Bodies floating in the marsh of the rice fields. Vaguely, I heard the sound of retching, and knew it had the Kuwabara. Or was it me? I guess it didn't matter who. The entire village. It was gone. No one had even been left to bury the bodies of the dead. Even Kaede. _Oh no…Kaede! _The use of my body returned to me, and I scaled down the path, heading for Kaede's hut at the edge of the village.

"Kaede! Kaede, are you here? Kaede?" I could feel myself screaming, but I had no control of my voice. I ran past the rubble of turned over carriages, homes burned to the ground. When I came to her house, it was the most intact. Entering the bamboo flap, I let my eyes adjust to the dark hut before I knew what I was looking at.

She laid there. Her body strewn out across the floor. Her night's supper spilt across the fire pit and the floor of the hut. Her bow sat discarded beside her, her arrows strewn out across the dirt. _No.. No, no no no… _No coherent thought could form as I knelt beside her and pulled her stiff head into my lap. Dried blood crusted her forehead and her chest where his claws ripped through her chest in a death-blow. Her eyes were the worst. Surprise colored her open eyes. Open and staring at me. Accusing me. Blaming me. Blaming him. Finally at peace. But in the worst way.

A long time passed before Kagome exited the hut, her feet dragging, her eyes downcast. The spirit detectives had given her privacy, instead, opting to search the village for survivors. Finding none, they got to work, burying the bodies. Nobody spoke. There was nothing to say. Whatever the spirit detectives expected from their first impression of the feudal era, it was not this. The fire and violence that had ravished the village ravished Kagome, and in turn, a little piece of the men that had followed her into the past.

AN: okay, so maybe I got that out a little faster than I thought I would. But I think my excitement for the story was egged on by you guys liking it (: It was a short chapter, but I had to get through that to develop the plot a little more. The next chapter should be a little brighter and a little longer. I'm sorry it was so sad! Trust me, everything happens for a reason! Anyways, as I said before please, please, please let me know what you like, what you don't, what you would like to see, and so on and so forth. A couple of you noticed me misspell Koenma's name. I apologize, I know how much that bugs me when reading. I'll try to keep up my computers spell check when writing!

And thank you soo so much.

Cade213: I really like long chapters too, it makes the wait worth it. I'll try to work my way up to that. For me, 12 pages of writing was a lot. Haha but thank you for both your comments and catching my mistake! I'm trying to set a high bar for this story. (:

Kristina. .3: I'm glad you caught that! Haha I made myself laugh imagining that too, it's so like him. I'm really glad you're enjoying the story! That makes me want to write more. I'll try to post as often as possible! Right now, the storyline is chugging along in my head, so for at least a couple more chapters, I should be posting pretty quick!


	4. Carry On, My Wayward Son

Family First

Disclaimer:  
I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho.

_"Hiei thoughts" also "everyone else's thoughts as dictated by sentence"  
_**"Yoko thoughts"**  
"Kurama thoughts"

Chapter 4: Carry On, My Wayward Son.

Washing up in the river, the mood of the group lightened tremendously. The day had passed, the sun setting over the hills, caressing the valley with darkness. Feeling refresh and determined, Kagome led the group to higher ground, a clearing in which they could make camp. No one in the group really knew how to make a camp, so Kagome assumed command; sending Kuwabara to gather firewood, Yusuke to unroll the sleepers and Kurama to prepare some of the nearby vegetation for dinner. Meanwhile she prepped the fish they had caught in the river. Hiei had predictably disappeared, unwilling to be commanded by a human woman. They fell into a easy rhythm as the sun fell into total darkness and the moon lit up the clearing. Once the fire was started and the fish going, they formed a semi-circle around the fire, minus Hiei. Making some tea, everyone rested from a long day of grave digging and burying. The crackling of the fire soothed them into a more relaxed state when finally Kagome spoke about their next step.

"I checked the graves today, and none of the fallen were my companions. Which makes me think they are still alive and got away somewhere. I think they either made for Koga's den, or Lord Sesshomaru's castle. Possibly wounded. But even so, if they are out there we should find them. We are stronger in numbers and I need to find out what happened." She stated. Pausing for any objections, she continued. "Koga's den is to the East and Sesshomaru's castle is to the west. Either way, we have a long trek ahead of us. We should rest up tonight and make sure we're ready to travel tomorrow. Pack plenty of water from the river, the river runs north to south, so it'll be a while before we come across another river." Kagome paused again, examining the men passively listening to her. "I… I wanted to thank you. All of you. You didn't have to help me bury them today, but you did. So… thank you." She said it quietly, but everyone shuffled none the less, unsure how to acknowledge her gratitude. Instead, Kurama changed the subject.

"Lady Kagome, you know these lands well. Might you also tell us what we're going to be up against out here to the best of your knowledge? From what you've told us, you're on a mission, and the hanyou is now your enemy. But what about the dark lord that the legends speak of? And the undead priestess? The various enemies? What information should we have to perform our job?" Kurama asked, watching Kagome intensely, trying to pry answers out of her instantly. On her part, Kagome just blinked owlishly at the curious avatar before cocking her head to the side.

"Man. You guys really know nothing. Well.. I guess I'll start from the beginning. 55 years ago…."

The rest of the night was spent discussing the specifics of the mission and how each player fit in.

The next morning Kagome was up long before the others, used to being up at sunrise to start her day. Quietly, she slipped away, padding over to the edge of the cliff, where she sat to watch the sun rise over the mountains. Pondering the turn of events and their next move, Kagome sighed. Since when did she have to call the shots? Not for the first time, she wondered if she should have brought her cousin and his friends at all. This wasn't their battle, and she wasn't sure they would be up to the challenge. Her thoughts turned toward her family here in the past. Where were they? Were they okay? Was little Shippo okay? He's probably scared to death. They probably went to the West. They know Sesshomaru could handle it better, without putting Koga's pack in danger. If Inuyasha was even following them. _Inuyasha… _Her eyes started to burn at the thought, but she pushed them back and sat up straighter. Slipping into her mediation, she felt her stress roll away as she allowed her holy powers to rise and proceeded in her spiritual training.

Not far from her, the three demons of her new group were startled awake at the surge of holy power so close to them. After realizing it was Kagome mediating, all three settled back down. Kurama moved to sit beneath the tree Hiei was perched in and Yusuke flopped back down on his back to stare at the lightening sky.

**Yusuke**

Throwing my arm over my forehead, I watched as the stars faded from view and the sky turned from dark blue to a light grey, and then to a light pink as the sun made it's way to us. Peaking over to Kagome, I had to shake my head at her prone form. Man, that's her? She's got a lot of holy power hidden in there. Why have I never noticed? How could I never see? She was so brave yesterday.. To think she knew all those people. How close was she to them? All the women and children, dead without a chance. That bastard, he really is a heartless son of a bitch. How could he do that to her? How could-

As this thought rolled across my mind, I couldn't help but feel guilty. How could I not know? How is it that I knew nothing about the family I claim to be so close too? How could I leave her alone? Suddenly the guilt was too much to bare. Pushing my sleeping bag aside, I got up, intending to talk to her. Meeting Kurama's sharp green eyes, I nodded, knowing him and Yoko, probably Hiei were all talking about the situation. Damn mental connections. Quietly as I can, I make my way to her, unsure how she's going to react to being interrupted in the middle of her meditation.

Yusuke plopped down beside Kagome, knowing she felt him for the wave in spiritual energy wrapped around him, welcoming him, probing his aura, and familiarizing itself with his mixed spiritual and demonic energy. He slipped into a similar mediation so his energy could do the same to Kagome. Sitting knee to knee, the two were quiet for a while. After a while, Yusuke cleared his throat to get her attention. "Hmm?" She hummed softly, at ease and deep in concentration. "I uh… I wanted to talk to you." He said quietly, wishing not for the first time he could mentally communicate like his team mates so he didn't have to say this out loud. "About what Yuyu?" She said equally as quiet, catching his vibe that he didn't want his team mates to listen in.

"I wanted to tell you… Um that I.. well, I feel bad. So I wanted to say…" he cleared his throat again and Kagome waited patiently while he collected his courage. "I'm sorry." It was soft, soft enough that she had to strain to hear him and there was a moment of silence.

Kagome cracked her eye open and looked at him through her half lidded eye. "What are you sorry for Yuyu? You've been nothing but helpful." she said, shutting her eye once more. Yusuke sighed.

"I'm sorry for everything okay? I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you needed me. I'm sorry I never knew what you were going through. I'm sorry I didn't protect you. I'm sorry you fell through the well. I'm sorry he betrayed you. I'm sorry you were hurt. Damnit Kagome, I'm sorry. If I had been here, like I promised you, this-" Yusuke had gotten louder and louder, forgetting he didn't want his team mates to hear. Finally, Kagome had reached out and calmly put her hand over his mouth, effectively stopping his self-loathing tirade.

"Yusuke, I don't know what you're so worked up about. You can't change fate. We all have our destiny, and no matter how much you wish you could have, you couldn't have changed mine. As much as I love you, and as much as I'm thankful you want to protect me, I had to be here. I had to be do this. Sometimes, you have to accept what is in store for you, and not blame anyone else. I don't blame you. I don't blame anyone, actually. I wouldn't have changed my own fate for anything. I may be in pain right now, and I am, don't think I'm not. His betrayal hurts like hell. The loss of the village that adopted me as one of their own is killing me. But… but there's a bigger picture here. I have made great friends, greater family. I have learned who I really am, what I'm capable of. I have pushed my body to the limits and survived. I have pushed my heart and soul to the limits, and came back unbroken. I wouldn't want to go back to my naive existence before the jewel. I wouldn't change my fate, anymore than I would want to change yours. It makes us who we are Yusuke. As much as I'm grateful you're here, and I need your strength right now, you can't assume I'm the same little girl you grew up with." Her tone stayed steady and quiet while she spoke, never once removing her hand from his mouth or opening her eyes. Yusuke had dropped out of his meditation and opened his eyes to stare at her as she spoke. Her face glowed in the new day's sun, her smile radiant despite her closed eyes. He couldn't find the words to respond to her when she finally did drop her hand.

After a moment she spoke again. "Yusuke, what this journey has taught me, is to appreciate those you care for, and love like it was your last day. So don't apologize to me, we don't have time for remorse." She opened her eyes, finally, and Yusuke was staring into her blue eyes, shimmering in the sun. Full of unshed tears, bright and glistening, she smiled brightly at him. Grabbing his hand she entwined their fingers, just like when they were little kids. Yusuke looked down at their fingers, remembering all the times she would pick him up and brush him off after a scruff with another kid, and grab his hand just like this and lead him somewhere exciting. Safe. Warm. Somewhere where she made him forget how much he hated everything and reminded him how to have fun. Looking back up at the girl- no, woman, seated beside him, he smiled softly at her. She sniffed and resituated herself to resume meditating.

Yusuke followed her into a peaceful meditation, their hands still entwined on their knees.

* * *

After breakfast had been made and camp had been cleaned up, the five of them started their slow trek to the west. Following a well worn merchants path, they made light of their journey with stories and jokes, mostly between Yusuke, Kuwabara and Kagome. Kurama trailed beside them, smiling at their antics when Kuwabara was imitating an ogre in the office when he was mad. Hiei kept to the trees, following beside them high in the air, scouting the surrounding area every now and then when the team got on his nerves. The first part of the day went by well, the weather was pleasant and the trek easy.

Kurama observed the woman he was sent to help frequently. How easily she laughed at Yusuke and Kuwabara. How her eyes, ears, and concentration often slipped to her surrounds. The ways in which she kept her eye on him and Hiei, flitting through the trees above and beside them. How she seemed at ease beside them, but secretly seemed to be waiting for something to happen.

"**It's because this is the past Red. It doesn't matter how nice this place seems, its like Makai, danger hidden everywhere. She is smart, for a human. You must be on your guard here." **Yoko answers his unanswered question, easily picking up on Kurama's confusion. **"However, I believe she realizes that we haven't accepted her as easily as it seems, as well as firecracker. She seems to know better. Interesting little vixen isn't she?" **He purred, his fascination getting the better of him when they once again notice her figurative glance their way. Kurama gives no answer, instead looking to Hiei to see how closely he's paying attention to the small woman.

Sure enough, just a glimpse of his crimson eyes can be seen before it's gone again.

Hiei, for his part, never lost his suspicion. In fact, it grows stronger every time she looks at him. Like she's waiting for him to do something. A slight growl rumbles through his chest at the thought. _"Like that onna could predict me." _He thinks with venom. The more he's around her, the less he likes her. She laughs to easily. She smiles to willingly. She doesn't question anyone. She looks at everyone like she understands them. Even him. He caught her multiple times look at him with those eyes like she understands without saying a word. _"Foolish onna. She's lucky she's the detectives cousin, it keeps her alive." _Without questioning his hostility over his usual indifference, he speeds away, scouting the area once more to get away with the buffoons making more noise than a herd of elephants.

After stopping for lunch at the boys instance, Kagome urge them back on the trail. Some miles into their afternoon trek, Kuwabara started trailing behind rather than bounding up in front like an energetic child. Noticing this, Kagome fell back to walk beside him.

"You doing okay?" She asked softly, trying not to draw attention to their tiring companion.

Puffing his chest out in indignant pride, he marched on a little faster. "Of course I am! I'm no weakling, this is nothing!" He almost shouted.

Sighing Kagome shook her head. Tonight and tomorrow was going to be rough for him. Kurama turned and watched the display before falling back to walk beside Kagome as she watched Kuwabara march off ahead of her.

"I believe his pride is wounded at your concern priestess." He spoke cordially, testing the waters with her.

"Just Kagome, please. I don't like being called a mindless title." She stated, smiling softly but not looking at him. "His pride may be wounded, but he'll be in more pain physically real soon if he's not use to covering this many miles in a day." she spoke, worry evident in her voice.

"My apologize Kagome. None of us are used to this sort of travel, but Yoko lends me his strength and Hiei will be fine. Yusuke should be fine, maybe a little tired. Kuwabara is the only one who is going to have to get used to it the hard way." Kurama spoke eyeing the priestess who never failed to surprise him.

"Yeah, I figured. We should camp next to a hot spring tonight if we can fine one. He's going to need it for his aching body and blistered feet. Tell me Kurama, if you don't mind me asking. Do you have the physical abilities of a demon because there is one residing in your body?" She asked, her tone tight, not knowing how much she should pry.

"Yes, for the most part. The advanced senses, the physical endurance. The demonic abilities. Of course, it is much more powerful when Yoko is control." His answer came easily, not at all deterred by her curiosity.

"So… what's it like?" She asked, more at ease by his demeanor.

"What is it you're talking about?" he asked, looking at her once more.

Kagome kept her head and eyes straight ahead of her, despite knowing he was looking at her. "Having someone in your head all the time."

"Hmm. Well I've lived with it for my entire existence, so it's hard to say. Yoko and I are very in tune with one another, our thoughts are accessible by the other, and despite it, within our head, we are two separate entities to each other." Looking up at the sky, Kurama pondered how to explain his unique situation to her in a way that she would understood. Not many people asked about the man he shared a body with.

"So is it just two people? Or are there three? The human, the demon, the mixed entity?" She asked, finally looking at him with curiosity.

Rolling his head down to look at her, Kurama was surprised by her intuitiveness. "There used to be three. But slowly, my human soul merged with the mixed energy, so now its just me and Yoko. Eventually though, it will just be one of us. We will merge or Yoko will overtake me." He said, watching her face as he talked. She gasped in horror when he said this, looking at him with alarm.

"How can you speak so calmly on the matter? This is your very existence you discuss." She asked, shying away from his keen gaze.

"Well Kagome, it is something I've had my whole life to come to terms with. It's just a fact." He said, looking back to the blue sky.

"Would you change it if you could?" She asked quietly.

"What is there to change?" He answered, never looking from the sky.

She didn't answer him.

* * *

It wasn't till the late afternoon that Kuwabara's bravo wore off. Yusuke, likewise, was starting to drag his feet. Kurama, using Yoko's guidance, directed them to a hot spring somewhat off the main road. Thanking him with a bright smile, Kagome directed the guys to sit and rest, which they did without complaint. Talk was light, Yusuke and Kuwabara were too tired to talk much. Kurama helped Kagome the most in setting up camp. He was rewarded by her smiles and soft thank you's which he replied in kind. A quick dinner was made from breakfast remains and some of the packed food. After dinner, Kagome direct the men to go bathe first. Readying the first aide kit, she waited for them to come back, watching the fire. Suddenly, Hiei returned from his scouting.

"Hiei, there is food by the fire for you." She spoke softly, knowing he could hear her. She felt him in the tree behind her and felt the hair on the back of her neck prickle under his sharp gaze. When he said nothing, she didn't press the topic. Instead she poured some tea for him, and placed it beside his plate.

They sat that way for a long while. Her staring into the fire, him staring at her, waiting for the inevitable talking he knew she was going to do.

"Do you require anything Hiei? I know you probably don't need to eat, but let me know if there's anything I can get you to make this trip easier on you." She said, desperate to break the stiff silence. Again, he said nothing.

The time passed slowly for the two of them.

Finally, the boys returned, Kurama and Yusuke half supporting Kuwabara between the two of them. Kagome jumped up as they made their way into the clearing, meeting them beside Kuwabara's bed roll with the first aide kit, a pot of hot water and a few towels. Kuwabara plopped down, groaning as he did.

"What the hell man! My legs and feet are killing me! They won't stop cramping and my feet are bleeding!" He groaned out, grabbing his leg and trying to massage the cramps away. Kagome swatted his hands out of the way and proceeded to tend to him.

Hot towels on his legs. Massage it out. Make him drink more water. Clean the blisters, wrap them and fuse them with some healing power.

Kuwabara watched in awe as she tended to him quickly. He couldn't help but blush at having such a pretty lady helping him in his moment of weakness. Gentle but firm, a small smile here, a murmured word of instruction there. Sweetly taking the pain from his aching body. Yusuke and Kurama had backed away to their own bed rolls, watching her work on their sore friend. When she was done, she moved away, smiling quickly at him and grabbing him some tea. He stuttered out a thank you and she returned to tend the fire

Once she moved away, the teasing was on. Yusuke couldn't resist poking fun at his friend.

"Hey Kuwabara, man, you're sly. Kurama should be taking lessons, getting a pretty girl to take care of you like that." Yusuke laughed, grabbing his stomach and pointing at Kuwabara as he went beet red and started spluttering.

"Shut up Urameshi! I did not! It wasn't my fault I got cramps! Shut up before I kick your ass!" He yelled, waving his fist at his friend.

"Hahahaha you can't kick my ass, you can't even get up, gimp!" Yusuke yelled back, laughing even harder. "A girl can do it, but you can't, what wimp!"

Suddenly, a pot flew at Yusuke, hitting his midsection knocking the breath out of him and effectively stopping his laughter. Groaning in pain Yusuke looked at his cousin shock.

"Yusuke Urameshi, stop being an asshole!" Kagome yelled, hands on her hips, one more frying pan in one hand. She stood over the fire, looking for all intensive purposes like a demon herself.

Yusuke shrunk back, cowering in fear from his cousins wrath. It was everyone's turn to laugh at him as he made himself as small as possible in the wake of her anger. Noticing his friends laughing him, he grew red, instantly standing up tall to argue like the stubborn man he was.

Needless to say, he went to bed with no less then a few more concussions.

The next few days passed much the same way and the five members of the group fell into a semblance of a routine as they made their way westward. On the fifth day, they came to the edge of the southern, western boarders. Growing excited, Kagome pushed them harder, anxious to find her friends.

Their first night in the western lands went without notice. Kagome knew this wouldn't last for long. They would travel up and out, toward his stronghold castle on the sea, and eventually either he would meet them himself, or he would send Sango and Miroku, given they were well enough. That night she found it hard to sleep, laying away staring at the stars. If she was to be honest with herself, sleep came hard for her most nights, despite the slave driving pace she had set during the day. Her nerves over Inuyasha and her friends, not to mention Naraku, kept her awake at night. But the worst part was missing her kit. She missed his warmth sleeping at her side, knowing he was safe and sound beside her. She loved that little boy like her own. To not know if he was okay, or even alive, was killing her.

Sighing, she rolled over on her side. Looking at the occupants across the fire from her, she thought about her current situation. Being reunited and reacquainted with her cousin has been the best feeling in the world. The fact that her childhood playmate was someone she could talk to about demons and danger and survival was something she has sorely wanted over the years. While Sango and Miroku were good listeners, she longed for someone from her era that would understand. Low and behold, that someone would be her cousin. His friend Kuwabara was someone she remembered vaguely from childhood, he would often be around Yusuke when Yusuke wasn't at her house. He's kindhearted and brave, often the bright spot of the group. _Kinda how I used to be… _She thought sadly. She felt guilty at dragging him back here, but knew he wouldn't let her send him back. She felt a kinship with him, he too was trying so hard to hold his own among demons and people much more suited for this sort of life than him. Not to say he wasn't powerful, but he wasn't meant for all this.

Sighing again, her train of thought fell onto the more complicated two of the group. Kurama was nice enough, and engaged in conversation with her easily and frequently. But she knew that was just his human façade. She knew she hadn't earned his trust or respect. The two things needed to truly be friends with a demon. The fact that she still hadn't met his demon counterpart didn't help settle her unease either. He often spoke for Yoko, but that didn't mean she knew anything about him. Something has to happen to break that divide of trust and respect in order fro them to become friends.

Hiei, the elusive hybrid was even more complicated. He stayed away from the group, unless he had to be involved. On the other hand, she often found him trying to delve into her mind, pick her mental locks so to speak. She knew the barrier between her and him was even worse than with Kurama. And one thing she learned over the years is that if they don't consider her a friend, she can't trust them. More than a few times, she caught them both eyeing her keenly, flickering from her face to the shards she kept around her neck. It made her uncomfortable, to say the least and she almost wished something would happen that would cause them smash through all the barriers.

Sighing again Kagome thought back to Sesshomaru and how she broke through those barriers.

* * *

_It was another fierce battle with Naraku. But this time, he was acting strange. Like he had something to hide. Kagome hid behind her friends, protecting Shippo and firing arrows into the demon hordes that attacked them constantly. Sweating profusely, and panting, Kagome tried to figure out what his angle was this time. "What in the world is he hiding?" Suddenly she felt it, Sesshomaru's powerful aura was heading straight for the battle, fast. He touched down in a blast of light, right between Naraku and Inuyasha. He was growling, harder than she had ever seen the stoic lord growl. Barely, he got out the words "Where is she?", so guttural, so animal like, she barely caught it. Naraku laughed and pulled out a small bundle from within his robes with one of his tentacles. Gasping, she noticed it was the little human girl that followed Sesshomaru around, Rin. She was unconscious, and that all but set the demon lord into a frenzy. Searching over her with her holy power, Kagome gathered she was fine, and thought quick. Before she could do anything, Sesshomaru was transforming. Turing into the beast that was his true form. Under the cover of all the commotion, Kagome hid Shippo behind a tree and snuck through the chaos. Naraku was dodging the demon lord, using the small girl as a shield. In his frenzied uncontrolled state, Sesshomaru was barely missing her with his massive paws. "He's going to kill her if he's not careful! And he won't even know it till he calms down… I have to save her!" Sneaking past Inuyasha who was avoiding the massive dog demon, she dodged a paw and came up around Naraku. Steadying herself she aimed for the mass of tentacles holding the girl like a shield. No one was paying any attention to her, hidden in the shrubs on a vantage point above the fight. Taking a deep breath she shot. As soon as her arrow was out of her bow, she threw the bow to the side, running as fast as she can towards the middle of the fray. When her arrow hit his tentacles, there was a bright light that lit up the whole fight. Kagome used this to her advantage, the falling girl was going to hit the ground as the tentacles around her evaporated. In a split second, Kagome launched herself into the air, trying as hard as she could to get to the small girl before it was too late. "Please…" she thought, reaching her arms out…_

_Her arms wrapped around her precious package as the light faded away. Then she was falling to the ground. Turning her body so she would take all of the impact, her skull hit the ground hard as she gripped Rin tighter to her small body. Head jarring from the impact, she saw stars dance in front of her eyes. The roaring in her head was coming from multiple outlets; the blood rushing to her head sounded like a siren. Sesshomaru, angry at being startled and momentarily blinded roared his massive displeasure. Naruku roared in anger at being thwarted. Before her vision could even come back to her completely, tentacles were being sent to impale her and Rin from one side, and Sesshomaru's giant paw came down on her from the other side. It all happened too quickly for her to think clearly. Screaming at the top of her lungs, her miko powers burst forth, extending across the clearing in a mad rage. For one, blissful moment, there wasn't a sound. Just deafening silence. And then, as quick as it burst forth, her powers receded, leaving a quiet clearing in its wake. _

_Kagome looked towards where Naraku was and found nothing but the wooden form that he used to make his puppets. Suddenly there was a clamor as her friends came rushing up to her, all yelling at once. Her head, bleeding and disorientated from impact, couldn't handle all the voices at once and she closed her eyes to block them out. Miroku's gentle hand on her forehead, lifting her head to rest on blanket. Sango's firm hands trying to pull Rin out of her grasp. "No.." she rasped, holding tightly to the human package. Immediately, Sango's hands disappeared, and the clamoring quieted. And then it was Miroku's gentle voice, asking her if she was alright. She tried to nod her head, but whimpered in pain instead. Fingers probed her skull, looking for a fracture or a bump. When he found the site of impact, she cried out and he immediately retracted his fingers and replaced it with a cloth. Numbly, she asked for Sesshomaru and Miroku managed to inform her that he was alive, unconscious on the other side of the clearing; the strength of her power had reverted him back to his humanoid form and knocked him out. "Funny… I knocked out the Killing Perfection? Ha…" _

_And she remembered nothing else._

_Not long after, she awoke. Her mouth felt like cotton and her eyes felt like they were sealed shut. Opening her eyes to the twilight sky, she tried to remember what happened. "Oh yea… Rin!" Sitting up suddenly, she regretted the decision instantly when stars burst behind her eyes and pain exploded in her skull. "Ughhhh…" she groaned, alerting her companions of her consciousness. _

"_Kagome!"_

"_You're awake!"_

_Oh Kagome, thank goodness!"_

_Voices rang out at her awakening and she was crowded by her friends again. She felt Shippo bury himself into her midsection, hugging her for all he was worth. Opening her eyes again, she was met with the worried stares of her friends. _

"_Damn wench, you scared us half to death, what the hell were you thinking?!" Inuyasha's voice cut into her, making her already pounding head sear._

"_Nice to see you too, Inuyasha." she murmured, knowing he heard her._

"_Kagome, how are you feeling?" Sango grabbed her hand as she spoke, afraid she still wasn't feeling well._

_"Other than I feel like I got hit with a mac truck, fine. Where's Rin?" she asked, taking in her friends and looking around._

"_Sesshomaru took her back to his castle! We are to meet him there when you get up!" Shippo spoke up, sounding for all the world like a kid talking about a field trip._

_"We are huh? Why, so he can murder me for knocking him out?" She grumbled. Her stomach sunk at the implications of knocking the demon lord on his ass._

"_Feh, we're not going anyways, that icy prick can come find us if he wants something!" Inuyasha piped in._

"_No Inuyasha, I need to go apologize to him." Kagome said, standing to test her balance. _

"_What the hell for? You saved his runt!" Inuyasha yelled, instantly getting in her face about it._

"_Sit, boy." _

_Him crashing to the ground ended the argument._

"_But he has a point Kagome, what do you need to apologize for? You risked your life to save Rin." Sango pointed out, seeing Inuyasha's point._

"_I knocked him on his ass. He's not going to like that very much. If I want to stay alive, I'll show him the respect he expects." she replied, gathering her things for a quick soak in the river._

"_Well Lady Kagome, we don't even know where his castle is, to start with." Miroku chimed in._

"_Well we'll just have to figure it out, won't we?" she replied, stumbling off to find the river._

_Finding the castle had been a challenge. Well hidden in the cliffs by the sea, Sesshomaru's strong hold was magnificent, but hidden. Guards said nothing as the group passed them, it was obvious Sesshomaru was waiting for them. At large double wooden doors, a young maid stood motionless, waiting for them to approach her._

"_Lady Kagome, I presume, and company?" She stated, without looking any of them in the eye._

_Kagome blinked dumbly at the maid addressing her in such a manner. "Er…. Yes. Yes I am._

"_Very well, follow me please." the maid stated, turning on her heel as the large doors opened behind her. Everyone shared a glance at this treatment, when they expected to be met with open hostility. Instead, they were led down magnificent halls of marble and stone, to another large set of doors. Bowing and leaving them there, everyone gripped their weapons tighter at the unknown behind the door. When the doors open slowly, everyone waited with bated breath._

_Inside was a study. A library of sorts, with a large conference area and the walls lined with books and ancient artifacts. Glass doors opened into beautiful gardens across from them. Nobody moved for a long moment, before a bored voice called out to them; "This Sesshomaru will not wait all day on you fools." _

_Bristling, Inuyasha made to storm past Kagome, hand on his sword. Grabbing his arm, she shot him a warning look, before entering the room slowly._

_Sesshomaru held a single cup of tea in his hand, seated alone at the low table. Bowing low, Kagome approached him cautiously. "Good day lord Sesshomaru. What is it you have called us here for?" She spoke respectfully, but her eyes were steady and unafraid. Without a word, Sesshomaru motioned for them to sit at his table. After some huffing and nudging Inuyasha in the side, they settled themselves at the farthest end of his table. Nobody spoke again for a long moment as Sesshomaru scrutinized them with his cold glare. Inuyasha opened his mouth to make a snide comment, when finally Kagome cut in._

"_I wanted to apologize for my actions the other day. I did not mean to actively attack you, it was purely accidental because you happened to be…close by." She stated quietly, treading lightly on the topic._

_Sesshomaru's piercing gaze shifted to her once more. His eyebrow rose slowly as he took in what she was saying. Finally, he spoke once more. "Listen carefully, for I will not repeat myself miko. I wanted to extend my gratitude for your services in rescuing my ward. Also, I extend similar gratitude for assuming control of my beast and forcing my persons back into humanoid form before I did irreparable damage." He stated firmly, watching her reaction closely. "In addition, I would like to speak to you on the affair of that vile creature, Naraku. Since he has preformed a grave transgression against my person and my charge, he has become my first priority. I wish to work with you miko, in destroying that existence for good. In order to do so, however, it has come to my attention that you are disturbingly untrained and dependent in the art of battle. Am I incorrect miko?" _

_For Kagome's part, she could barely focus on his words, given how much he was talking to her, HER, in one setting. So when it came to his question, she was silent for a few painful moments, in which time she blushed becomingly and stuttered her response. "Y-yes, I have very little control of my miko powers and even less control of my bow. Otherwise, I remain untrained."_

_At her response, Sesshomaru turned to Inuyasha. "This Sesshomaru realizes you have little knowledge of pack law, but having an untrained miko in your pack is simply foolish. Why have you not seen to this matter, whelp?" He spoke icily, pinning Inuyasha with a firm glare. At this, Inuyasha could take no more._

"_Fuck you, high-and-mighty! I don't know anything because you never taught me anything! To hell with you and this charades of -" He was cut short by Kagome yanking him back down from his suddenly standing stance. Looking him in the eyes, Kagome begged him to be civilized. Huffing, Inuyasha sat back down, crossed his arms, and scowled at the doors across the room instead of continuing the conversation._

_Sesshomaru turned his attention back to Kagome after his brother's display. "Miko, I request that you be trained. If this Sesshomaru is to take down the evil half-breed, I need the strength of a fully trained miko that can handle herself in battle. I do not trust the undead witch with the deed, and I request it to be you." _

"_M-me? Why me?" She squeaked, looking at her comrades who mirrored her stunned expression._

"_Do not be dense miko. It will take holy power to defeat the powers of the tainted jewel. It can only be you. What did you expect to do at the final battle? You will be useless to any of us untrained." With this statement, all occupants in the room bristled. All except for Kagome herself. She stared into Sesshomaru's face, searching for the truth. Without saying anything, she held her hand up to silence her angry friends. On cue, their clamoring stopped and they all settled back into their seats. Kagome ignored the looks that passed between her friends. _

"_And how, Lord Sesshomaru, would you want this done, with me searching for shards all the time?" She questioned, the wheels turning in her head._

"_By the monk in spiritual powers. By the slayer in conditioning your human body. And by this Sesshomaru in the art of battle. This Sesshomaru will travel with you, along with my ward."_

* * *

It was a bumpy start, forming a shaky trust and respect bridge with Sesshomaru. Inuyasha's hatred for him didn't help matters much either. Although, for his part, Sesshomaru reigned in the hostility for his brother in order to achieve his goal. Rin was the best part, and soon Kagome had come to view the young girl as an adopted daughter much like Shippo. Training with Sesshomaru was slow death. The first couple of months nearly killed her. But she made it through, and by the time she was deemed done, Sesshomaru and her had formed a warm friendship. When it was just the two of them, his eyes would soften, much the way they did when he gazed upon Rin. And that, that was enough for Kagome. She knew that bond couldn't be broken easily.

The next morning light saw Kagome reading herself. She wasted no time in meditating or breakfast, instead she set out small ready meals for the men and packed up camp around their sleeping forms. Only Kurama awoke and silently questioned her with his eyes until she made it clear he was to pack his camping gear. Prying the other two out of their beds wasn't as easy. But her determination to get to Sesshomaru's castle made it happen.

On the road before the sun had even fully come over the mountains, the spirit detectives drug their feet behind the marching miko, making her way purposely towards the coast. Despite the grumbling coming from behind her, Kagome knew today was going to be the day, there was no time to waste.

The sun wasn't quite in the middle of the sky when they reached a clearing of shrub covered sand dunes, signaling their rapid approach to the sea. Settling in for lunch, Kagome ignored Kuwabara and Yusuke's complaints, watching the western horizon constantly. Hiei picked up on her waiting form and extended his senses out, searching for whatever it was the priestess was waiting for.

Sure enough, he felt a massively powerful demonic aura hedge into his senses out of no where. And just as fast as he felt it, it got closer to them. Suddenly Kagome jumped up, alarming the rest of the group that hadn't picked up on her behavior. Stepping away from the group a few paces, Kagome smiled.

Out of no where, the powerful aura hit the other three in the group and they were on their feet just as fast. Happening too fast for anyone else to move, there was suddenly a figure standing in the shrub covered dunes not far from them. He was very powerful and very close, catching all but Hiei and Kagome off guard. Yusuke immediately went on the offensive, determined to protect his cousin at all costs. Kagome held out her hand for him to stop and he caught sight of the wide grin that lit up her beautiful features. It was a smile he hadn't seen since the first morning on the cliff, so he slowly put his hands down and waited for someone to explain what the hell was going on. Kurama and Kuwabara came up to flank him, and he felt Hiei materialize on Kurama's other side.

"Yusuke, calm down. That is the demon we have been looking for. That's lord Sesshomaru."

* * *

AN: Okay, so we're making progress. It's slow going, I know, but I'm hoping to make a really long story out of this, so maybe it's a good thing. Chapter five will explain what happened to the group as well as the village. As always, let me know what you liked, what you didn't and how you feel I'm doing. Thank you to everyone that has reviewed, you guys all really help the story in your own ways! (:

Thanks guys!

Kristina. .3: I'm glad you enjoyed it! I always worry that my OCD about detail bores everyone else. Haha let me know how you felt about this chapter. Too drawn out? Too much detail? I really wanted to expand on those faulty relationships in this chapter, I hope it showed! Thanks for reviewing at every new chapter! It really helps me! (:

Lorelei evans: I'm sorry! I didn't want too! I kinda cried a little writing it. ): BUT I promise there's a reason!

Diane: Thank you for catching my mistakes! It really helps to have someone point those out, I'm notorious for it!


	5. I'll Be Your Shelter From the Storm

Family First

Disclaimer:  
I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho.

_"Hiei thoughts" also "everyone else's thoughts as dictated by sentence"_  
**"Yoko thoughts"**  
"Kurama thoughts"

Chapter 5: I'll Be Your Shelter From the Storm.

Kagome wanted to run. Fling herself into his arms and weep to her mentor about everything going on. She wanted him to reassure her that her friends were okay. She wanted him to tell her Inuyasha was all just a bad dream.

But she didn't. She knew in front of her cousin and company, he wouldn't be happy with her. So instead she bowed low, as expected.

Once she straightened, she strode forward purposefully, leaving the group behind her. Meeting with Sesshomaru, she met his eye as he stared at her coolly, not moving from his spot.

"Lord Sesshomaru, thank you for meeting me here." She stated, aware that Yusuke and his companions could still hear them.

"Miko. You're alive." He said, confirming her suspicions that everyone thought her dead.

"I escaped to my time where I was kept alive by modern medicine and healed by the kitsune accompanying me." She nodded her head back to the men still standing defensively at their camp. Sesshomaru's eyes flickered over to the four men, assessing them briefly.

"And you trust them because of it?" He asked coolly, but the anger in his voice was subtle.

"No, I trust them because the one in green in my cousin. These are his companions." She responded just as calmly, jutting her chin out in a subtle hint of dominance. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed, but he nodded just the same.

"My friends, are they.." She questioned, finally working up the nerve and unable to take the suspense any longer. Her voice didn't quake in front of the stoic demon.

"Your group, minus the half breed rest at my castle. They arrived gravely injured and asking for help. I have allowed them to stay while they rested. They await your arrival." He stated and turned to walk away.

Tears sprang to her eyes in relief. Unable to handle her emotions, she said nothing. But Sesshomaru smelled her tears and stopped, turning slightly to see her.

"Control yourself miko. Is it not enough they are alive?" He chided with no real malice in his voice. She could tell the difference; he spoke softer than he did before. That was the best comfort he was going to offer her in front of these men he did not know. Nodding, she turned around and trotted back to camp, keeping her head down to avoid them seeing the tears in her eyes.

"My companions are alive and at his castle. Comeon, we're going with him." Grabbing her pack, she set off beside Sesshomaru.

* * *

The guys really didn't like this new comer. Kagome ambled along beside him, talking quietly to him, smiles all the way. Which is probably the only thing that kept the guys from attacking this cocky bastard. He only ever looked over the four men once, and when he did, he dismissed them just as quickly. He was strong, no doubt about that. His power radiated off of him like heat from an engine. Kuwabara was scared senseless, he could feel this man's power and distain within his very bones. Leaning over to Yusuke, he whispered; "This is a FRIEND of hers?" behind his hand.

Yusuke, for his part, hadn't stopped glaring at the demons back; untrusting of one so powerful, jealous that his cousin was so wrapped up in him that she was ignoring them.

"Ha! If you can call that a friendship. He looks as frigid as a damn iceberg. He probably has an icicle stuck so far up his…" Yusuke was cut off suddenly by Kurama's elbow sharp in his ribcage. When the avatar shot him a deadly look, Yusuke shut up.

"Hiei, how are you feeling about this man?" Kurama mentally asked the hybrid that still walked beside him.

"_Hn. We need to be careful fox. This man may be her friend, but he is not ours." _Hiei thought, before shutting off the link with the fox and going back to brooding. For some reason, the friendly terms that the miko and the stoic demon lord were on grated Hiei's nerves like nothing else. Watching her smile at him so easily, despite his icy demeanor made him wonder if the miko was crazy or some bewitching enemy. _"This demon lord would not be taken a fool so easily. Why does he allow her to treat him so casually?" _He thought, wondering once more if this was all part of the miko's trick to lure in her enemies.

"**Red, I am not fond of her walking beside him and ignoring us." **Yoko pouted in Kurama's mind.

"Really Yoko, I'm worried about whether or not he is an enemy, and you're worried about who she walks next too? I thought you were the fearsome demon here." Kurama replied, exasperated at his mental copartner's jealousy. Although, if he were being honest with himself, the fact that she normally walked next to him and Yoko also made the demon lord less appealing as an ally.

"**But Red, that's our spot!" **Yoko whined, acting for all the world a small kit that lost his favorite toy. **"But on a serious note, I've heard of Lord Sesshomaru. When I was King of Thieves in Makai, his was one kingdom I never got to steal from. I had sent many men in to scout and steal, but none of them ever came back. He has a fearsome reputation. I had planned on stealing from him myself, but then I died." **His humor was dry, but his tone was serious. Kurama got a hazy mental image of a stone castle on the coast, and then it was gone.

"Fearsome reputation? He is walking next to a human miko Yoko, he doesn't seem too fearsome to me." Kurama replied. Although he knew the demon lord had power, his tolerance of the small miko at his side made him seem much like Yoko; tamed over the years.

"**I heard that kit, don't think for one second I have been **_**tamed. **_**I am not **_**tamed**_**. Just limited by your human body." **Yoko snarled in his head.

Sighing, Kurama returned to his thoughts on the demon in front of them; saving this battle for another day, even as Yoko ranted on.

* * *

It wasn't long before the travelers made their way to Sesshomaru's stronghold. The castle was magnificent, just as the spirit detectives expected it would be. The castle was heavily guarded, and though the guards they passed said nothing, they knew they were being watched carefully.

Following behind the demon lord and the miko, the detectives examined the castle and it's grounds. For such a stoic, imposing figure, his castle held a lot of gardens making it an extremely unexpected display of beauty.

Making it inside, Sesshomaru faced Kagome and spoke something so soft that the guys couldn't hear it. Instantly she broke into a grin and took off running towards an unknown destination. Before they guys could stop her, she was whipping down the hall. Sesshomaru barely spared them a glace when he muttered, "Follow her.", and swept off in the other direction. The detectives shared a short glance before running after her, not wanting to be in this castle without her. Following her sent as she made her way through the maze like castle, they caught up with her, just as her long awaited reunion began.

Kagome tore down the hallways, knowing exactly where her friends where when Sesshomaru told her they were in the east wing. The guest wing, where she had stayed multiple times. Reaching one of the first doors, she through it open. Finding nothing she ran to the next, throwing it open and startling the room's occupants.

When the door slammed open, all four of the rooms occupants scurried up, instantly going on the defensive. The small miko stood in the large doorframe, panting. Dirty from her travels, but otherwise intact. It took a long second for four people in the room to realize just who it was standing before them. Shippo, the least injured of them all was the first to react and first to move.

"KAGOMEEEEEEEE!" He cried, flinging himself from a chair by the window into her arms. Grasping the front of her shirt, he buried his nose into her neck, sniffing for all he was worth. When her small arms wrapped around him; evoking the same comfortable feeling they always had, his tears came.

His sob overtook him, shaking through his very being as he held on to as if his life depended on it. She comforted him as he cried, sobbing into her shoulder without stopping. All his worries, all his fears came out in his tears and he didn't need to say a word. Kagome was aware of the guys falling in behind her, watching her young kit sob his eyes out as she rocked him softly.

Looking over the precious bundle in her arms, she met her friends eyes. Sango laid in bed, bandaged from the waste up, but sitting up and openly crying. Miroku stood by her bedside, his eyes bright with unshed tears but a smile on his face nonetheless. Even little Kirara, with her bandaged paw, sat at the foot of Sango's bed, smiling at her and mewing softly. Smiling back at them, she realized her own face was wet from tears she didn't know she shed.

Her family had made it through. Though she mourned the lost of her village and the lost of Kaede, she was here with her brother and sister. Her son. Though their family had been broken by betrayal, still; here she stood.

She was home.

**Kurama**

The last thing in the world I expected to see after chasing the priestess- the one that was quickly getting on my nerves- was a small kit sobbing into her shoulder. A human maybe. Maybe even some other demon, but not a kit. Foxes are known to stick to their own kind; finding other species don't understand their nature easily.

Yet here I was, watching the touching scene in awe. The kit very obviously loved the miko, and the miko looked like she had been reunited with most precious person in her life. Unable to see past her in the doorway, I knew others stood in the room, but the kit held my attention.

"**He's a red fox kit. They are almost as rare as silver kits." **Yoko interrupted my thoughts. For once, the mischievous nature was gone from his voice, seriousness penetrating through our shared head.

"I remember you telling me that. Why in the world would he cling to a human in such a way?" I asked, still watching as she comforted the child.

"**He marks her with his scent like one would family. I would assume she adopted him at some point." **Yoko replied, curiosity getting the better of him as we watched the exchange.

Suddenly, she was moving into the room, the kit still in her arms. Following the detective and the others, we filed into the room behind her, watching as she embraced the crying woman, the man that held her tight, and even the kitten resting at the foot of the bed. They all greeted each other with such warmth, such caring; it was obvious that this was a tight knit group.

"**They treat each other almost as pack mates, if they weren't human, I would think they were pack." **Yoko speculated, watching the exchange with a slight twinge of jealousy at their closeness.

"Packmates?" I questioned, the idea seeming strange to me.

"**Yes, Canines, felines, and other animalistic demons often run in packs. Extended families all apart of the same species. Very close knit units. Individually, they tend to be weak, but together, they form a formidable unit." **he explained, as we watched the conversation turn to Yusuke and the rest of us. Kagome proceeded to explain the events that led up to us being here and who we were.

We watched as the slayer and the monk turned hawk like eyes on us; sizing us up, evaluating us. Likewise, I did the same to them.

When she came too me, however, the kit interrupted the conversation. "He's a fox?" he piped up, poking his red head over her shoulder to look at me excitedly. I watched him sniff the air, scenting for me. Idly, I smiled at him, finding his antics cute.

"But momma, he doesn't smell like a fox. He smells human." He said, cocking his head back at the miko.

"**Well that confirms my suspicions." **Yoko purred, eyeballing the miko even harder as she stroked the kit's hair and patiently explained what 'avatar' meant.

Leaning back over her shoulder, he smiled widely at me. "I'm Shippo, nice to meet you! Can I see your fox form sometime? Momma says you're nice, so maybe if I'm good, I'll get too!" he rehashed to me, much too the miko's embarrassment. The blush that stained her cheeks said more than she did and I placed my hand on the kits head and ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Maybe little one. We'll have to see." I said, unsure what else to say. But that seemed to be enough for the little kit, for his smile got wider and he began to bounce in his mom's arms excitedly. Kagome shot me a thankful smile and returned to her conversation.

"Enough about us, what… what happened after… I mean." Kagome started, looking down at her kit's hair as she spoke.

The slayer and the monk traded glances before the monk settled down on the bed beside her. He heaved a huge sigh. "Well, Shippo and Kirara smelt your blood before he made it too the village so we met him outside. He came soaring out of the trees like a beast. Claws stretched, eyes red. His markings were out, so we knew we were trouble. We rushed to stop him, but he was a destructive force, tearing through the village like a wildfire. We.. We were unable to stop him. He injured all of us, and we barely made it out with our lives at Kirara and Shippo's insistence. He.. He destroyed the whole village didn't he?" Miroku asked quietly, hanging his head.

"Y…yea. They're all gone. I'm so sorry." Kagome whispered, looking so sad, so broken, that I wanted to comfort her. Without thinking about it, I placed my hand on her shoulder. The now familiar warmth filled me at the touch of her skin. She looked up at me with watery eyes, trying her hardest not to cry. But she smiled; that soft smile that spoke volumes to anyone who observed her. I found myself smiling back at her unconsciously, the only measure of comfort I could offer her.

"**Seems like you've found something interesting in her, Red. Care to explain?" **Yoko purred, watching what I was doing with his typical keen sense. Removing my hand, I felt my face heating up. For a second, I forgot about my other half. Ignoring him, I listened to the conversation.

"No Kagome, I'm sorry. We failed. We were suppose to protect them." The slayer had spoke up suddenly, her face heating up at the admission, but she no longer cried.

Kagome abruptly jumped from her seat, and rushed to comfort her friend. They held onto each other for a long time, some unspoken meaning behind the words the slayer spoke. Taking a moment to glance at my team, Yusuke stood leaning against a wall brooding. Kuwabara sat solemnly by his feet, back against the wall. Hiei stood with his hand on his katana, looking ready to attack any given moment. None of them looked particularly happy to be sitting here, but we needed this information.

Sitting back down, Kagome resumed her stiff posture. "Well, I am glad you guys made it out a live. We could sit here and brood about how bad this hurts, or we could figure out our next step. I think with my cousin and his friends joining us, we're going to be able to go up against him." She said. Her aura suddenly gave off a wave of authority and strength. Against my will, I found my eyes sliding back to her; her back straight, her face controlled, she fearlessly gave the orders to her companions to fight their long time friend. The monk and the slayer exchanged another glance. "Kagome," the monk spoke for them, "I respect your decisions, but do you think it wise to include your cousin and his…friends… in our battle?" he stated, shifting his gaze across us in a way that showed he thought us incompetent. Sure as I felt my eyes narrow in anger, Yusuke and Hiei both gave ferocious growls of indignation and anger. Kagome stood, acting as a wall between the two humans and us, and placed her kit on the bed. His eyes automatically found me and proceeded to study me.

"Look guys, lets face it. We need the help. We have Sesshomaru and Koga, but they have other issues to take care of. Without Inuyasha and the two demon lords traveling with us, we don't stand a chance. Inuyasha is probably with Kikyo, and we all know that if we go up against those two alone… well…." She stopped here, looking down to the ground. "Point is, they have offered their help to us, and we need it. They are perfectly capable, I can sense that myself. They can do the traveling, hold their own." She finished strong, her back straight and her head held high.

Although I was a little surprised at her confidence in us, her insistence seemed to be enough for her friends. They nodded their heads placidly, accepting the decision made for them. Although they didn't seem like the type of humans that accepted their fate idly, they seemed to look to Kagome as a leader. Wondering why, I looked back at the miko as she turned and faced us. Smiling that bright smile, she addressed us.

"Why don't I get Sesshomaru and some dinner, and we can eat and figure out what our next step is in here? Can you guys make friends?" She smiled, but it was obvious she was serious about making friends.

"Come'on cuz, you don't have to babysit us, we know how to behave if your buddies over there do." Yusuke finally spoke up, jacking his finger to her friends by the bed.

"Yusuke, shut your mouth and play nice. Matter of fact, go in the room over and bring in more chairs so everyone can sit and eat dinner." Kagome waved her hand at him, strolling passed me and out of the room to see to dinner.

"What the hell? Why me?!" Yusuke shouted out after her, throwing his hands in the air. "Ahh man. Why is it always me? Come'on Kuwabara, get your lazy ass up." He grabbed the human by his collar, hauling him up and out even as he protested.

This left the two human warriors alone with me and Hiei.

Watching each other from across the room, the tension instantly shot up in the small space.

Clearing his throat, the monk spoke up after a long moment of awkward tension. "I owe you, Kurama, for saving miss Kagome. To know she wouldn't have made it without your help is painful, so I owe you a substantial debt for her life." He spoke, his easy smile coming to his face as he addressed me. Smiling myself, I decided to play nice. "Of course, priest, it was my pleasure. Would you like my assistance with your wounds as well?" I asked, my eyes moving between the slayer, still bedridden, and him, whose movement was as small as possible.

Waving a hand at me, he rejected my offer. "As nice as that is of you to offer, I believe we are fine now. Still a little rough around the edges, but we'll be able to travel by morning." Looking to Hiei off to my right, he then addressed him. "If you don't mind me asking, Hiei was it? If you don't mind me asking, what kind of demon are you? I'm having a hard time reading your energies correctly." The monk asked in good nature.

I tensed, unsure if or how Hiei would answer. "It is not your business monk." Hiei spoke, deadly rolling off this tone.

The monk's smile waned a bit, and the slayer narrowed her eyes at him. "If we're forced to travel with you, _demon,_ it is our business." The slayer spoke up in place of the monk, her tone as vicious as Hiei's. I sighed, even as I put my hand on Hiei's shoulder to keep him from doing anything rash.

"My apologies, miss Sango, monk Miroku. Hiei does not tell people much about himself. It would be best if you both just trusted me on this one. Myself, on the other hand…" "Don't think your charming demeanor changes anything avatar. Just because Kagome is foolish enough to trust you, doesn't mean I do." The slayer cut me off, gripping the small katana she kept at her side, her eyes glaring at me with hatred.

My own eyes narrowed as Yoko's anger fueled my own. "I believe, _slayer,_ the miko asked us to _play nice,"_ I all but hissed at her, my wrath coming to life beneath my calm façade. "Therefore, I will respect her wishes as my comrades' relative. However, that will not stop me from protecting myself or any of my team from you or your unnecessary hatred." I pushed my anger onto them, wanting it to over power them and show them how deadly I really could be. "Never assume I could not kill you with a blink of an eye. Assume, however, that I have more control than that."

The slayer and the monk were silent when I was done, their eyes narrow on us. Both held their weapons tightly to their persons even as I moved my hand from Hiei's shoulder. There was a small sound from the doorway.

Kagome stood there, her eyebrows raised and her arms crossed.

I felt my stomach drop when she skewered us with her piercing gaze. Even Yoko grew uncomfortable in the back of my mind. However, the lashing and anger I expected never came. Instead she shook her head and dropped her arms, heaving a sigh at the whole situation. She proceeded back into the room, the demon lord following her and Yusuke and Kuwabara following him. Soon enough we were set for dinner, servants bring in food on large trays set up on the desk in the room. The tension in the room was still there, but much more manageable with Kagome and Sesshomaru here. We had all grabbed food, minus Hiei and the demon lord, when a young human girl came bounding into the room.

"Kagome! Why did you not come see Rin? Rin was told by Jaken that you were here!" She bound right past all of us, into the miko's lap. Laughing as she pulled the girl up for a hug, Kagome greeted the girl warmly.

"I'm sorry Rin, I was going to come see you when we were done with adult talks! But you found me first, silly girl." She nuzzled the girls cheek affectionately. Giggling, the girl wrapped her hands around the miko's neck, entangling her hands in Kagome's hair. "Rin missed you Kagome!" she said as she gripped the miko tightly. Smiling, Kagome hugged her back. "I missed you too Rin. I'm so glad to see you."

Rin then looked over to Sesshomaru. "Lord Sesshomaru, can Rin eat here with Shippo and Lady Kagome? Rin will be good, Rin promises!" she begged, not moving from the miko's lap until the demon lord gave her a small nod of approval. Jumping from the miko's lap, she proceeded to join Shippo on the bed. With a start, I realized that this girl Rin, was in some way, Sesshomaru's. A human? But why?

Before I had a chance to examine this strange discovery further, the conversation had picked back up.

* * *

"So, what's our next move? Do we continue traveling? Do we stay here?" Yusuke asked around a mouth full of food.

"Well we have to keep traveling, we still have to look for shards. But with as inactive as Naraku has been lately, we probably won't run into him or his minions for a while. So the sooner we get to the shards, the better." Kagome replied, looking thoughtfully towards the ceiling.

"I think we should go warn prince Koga of what has happened. Also, while traveling, we should pick up information on Inuyasha and or Kikyo. They're on the loose right now, and they could be doing a lot of damage." Sango piped up.

"What, slayer, do you plan on doing if you find the half-breed?" Sesshomaru spoke from his corner.

Everyone was silent.

Finally, Kagome spoke. "We will do what we must Sesshomaru. If he is a danger to others… we have to think about the innocent people." She spoke softly, but her strength was solid. She spoke with a finality that not even the demon lord argued with. Sango and Miroku hung their heads, the implications of her statement weighing heavily on their hearts. Even little Shippo understood what she meant, if his sniffles were any implication. Yusuke, from his spot across the room, swallowed his food and spoke gravely. "Kagome, if anything needs to happen… of that sort… you can count on me. You… you shouldn't have to do that." He spoke softly, the love for his cousin shining through his words. Kuwabara shifted uncomfortably beside him. Realizing what a softy he looked like, he blushed and went back to his food. Kagome said nothing.

"So when do we leave?" Miroku asked finally, his voice loud in the silence of the room.

Kagome sat quiet for a long moment. "Tomorrow, unless anyone has any objections." She said, looking at the occupants of the room, searching for dissent.

No one spoke, she nodded her head.

"Miko, this Sesshomaru is going with you. Come with me to my study." Sesshomaru spoke suddenly, rising and making his way out of the room.

"All of your rooms will be in this wing. Choose as you please." He threw over his shoulder at the rest of the occupants in the room. With that, he swept out, the miko and the young girl following behind him.

**Kagome**

Rin was left with a servant to take her to bed. After a long hug and a promise to see her in the morning, she was shooed away with the servant, waving the whole way down the hall. I followed behind my mentor as we made our way down the silent halls. My mind wondered to everything going on, worrying about everything I could possibly worry about. When we arrived at his study, he showed me in, and we sat at his table. Except, instead of sitting at opposite ends like we did the first time I ever sat in this study, we sat together. Barely a foot away from each other. Quietly, servants poured us tea and we waited for their departure before either of us spoke. I decided to break the silence.

"What did you want to talk to me about sensei?" I asked quietly. I knew here, in the quiet of his study, I could address him this way. The moon was the only source of light we needed, sitting close enough to the glass doors that it filtered in brightly.

"Do you still love the half-breed?" He asked suddenly, startling a gasp out of me. I looked at him intently, trying to figure out his angle. Despite my constantly stare, he continued to stare out into the gardens.

Dropping my head, I stared into my cup of tea. _Do I still love Inuyasha? _I asked myself over and over again. All that came to mind was the excruciating pain of his claws digging into my skin. The hands I loved to hold so much tore into flesh like butter. The face I loved so much twisted into a snarl of hatred and pleasure at shedding my blood. I got so lost in my memories that I didn't realize I had tears in my eyes till I felt Sesshomaru's large hand cover my own. I blinked them back before looking up at him. He was looking at me from the corner of his eye, his chin still resting on his other knuckles. I couldn't help the smile that graced my face at his soft action of reassurance.

"I think… I think in a way I will always love him. He was my everything for so long that… Well. But I'm not in love with him anymore. I can't. I can forgive him for what he did to me. Did to the others. Did to the villagers. He betrayed us in the worst sort of way, but I know I could forgive him. But I could never love him the way I did ever again." I said finally. The words just came, my thoughts scattered to the wind, my heart speaking instead.

Sesshomaru was silent, as though he expected that answer from me. But then again, it was hard to surprise him.

"I do not want you to face him alone." He said. Nothing more. Nothing less. Just a simple statement. But it spoke volumes to me. The tears finally came. I tried so hard to keep them down, blinking viciously to rid them from my eyes so he didn't get mad at me for my emotional display. Before I knew what was happening, his large hands wrapped around arms and lifted me from my seat. Startled for a second, it wasn't until he set me back down on his lap that I realized what he was doing. Bringing one knee behind my back and resting his elbow on it, he brought his other hand up to the side of my head, he gently pressed my head to his chest and held me there. For a second, I didn't know what to do, having never been shown this kind of affection from him. But he seemed to know exactly what I needed, because within seconds the tears hit me full force.

He sat there all night, holding me to his chest as I cried my sorrow out.

AN: BAM. I'm really happy with this chapter. That ending. Whew, I'm not sure where that came from. Oh well. (: Well chapter five! Chapter six will see them back on the road, and we'll get some other perspectives in there. As always, let me know what you like, what you don't and what you think about the story.

Thank you so much for all the reviews. It really helps me get the chapters out there and pushes me to keep them going strong. (:

Lorelei evans: There we go! I couldn't possibly kill them off! Reunited again! (: Thanks for reviewing (:

Kristina. .3: For some reason, it never lets me type out your whole name. It deletes it every time. ): But on a serious note, you are amazing. Your input helps soooooooo much. Thank you!

Cade213: haha I feel you. Sometimes I'm typing and I think 'am I too tired to be writing this right now? Yea, probably. Oh well.' haha but I hope you continue enjoying it.

Thanks to the rest of you as well. (: Your reviews always make my day!


	6. The Heart Sees What the Eyes Cannot

Family First

Disclaimer:  
I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho.

_"Hiei thoughts" also "everyone else's thoughts as dictated by sentence"  
_**"Yoko thoughts"**  
"Kurama thoughts"

Chapter 6: The Heart Sees What the Eyes Cannot.

Kagome woke up in a guest room of the East wing, shortly after sunrise. Looking around her, she noticed she was still wearing her clothes from yesterday. _He must have carried me here… _she thought, sitting up slowly. Her eyes were puffy and sore, but she felt better than she had in weeks. _I'm really surprised he was so.. Intune with my emotions… _She stretched and pushed herself out of bed. Strolling to the window, she threw back the curtains to gaze out at her and Rin's favorite garden. Watching the sun rise, she felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulder. Her pack was reunited. She had Sesshomaru and Rin. She had her cousin. She even had his friends. She smiled at her reflection when she thought of them. She knew they really didn't see her as a friend yet. Well, maybe Kuwabara. But the other two didn't. But that didn't mean anything. She hadn't met a demon yet she couldn't win over. She loved people too much. They disliked because of her power. They hurt her because of her power. But she loved them. Once they could get over it, she could love them even more. Shaking her head, she knew what her friends would say to that.

"Kagome, you shouldn't talk so crazy!"  
"Miko, you are not to spout nonsense."  
"Kagome, they could kill you!"

"Kagome, you can not love a stranger."

_Yea well, every one of them were strangers at one point in time… _she thought, thinking over the strange ways she accumulated friends. _I've never met a friend that didn't try to harm me in some way or another… but I loved them anyways_. She smiled again as she thought about how crazy she sounded. _They just don't get it… but it's okay. _

Moving away from the window, she proceeded to get ready for her day.

* * *

Everyone was instructed by a servant to gather in the dinning room shortly after the sun made it's way into the sky. Filling in slowly, everyone took their seats and sat in a tense silence. Kagome was the last to arrive, followed by Sesshomaru. She took her seat opposite of Rin, at Sesshomaru's side. The girl filled the silence with bubbly talk as she filled in her Lady Kagome on the happenings of the castle. Kagome, refreshed from last night, spoke gaily with the young girl, encouraging everyone else to join the conversation.

No one would take the bait. Instead, they all sat quietly, too tense to join the mindless conversation.

Kagome watched everyone out of the corner of her eye. Narrowing her eyes, she vowed not to let their stubbornness get in the way of her good mood today. _Something's got to give… _she thought, chewing on her chopsticks thoughtfully. She worried how long it would take for two groups to either have it out, or band together.

* * *

Setting out of the Western palace was tedious. Between the two children, the arguing spirit detectives, and the still injured Sango; just getting past the gates was proving to be tedious work. Quickly, the demons of the group had very similar ticks in their foreheads; relaying just how _displeased_ they really were. Kagome tried, in vain, to reign in the chaos before it got out of hand and she, or someone else, lost their temper.

Once they settled into their trek, they headed east, to the farthest end of the island, for Koga's den in the mountains. Hiei took to the trees when he could, staying as far away from the group as he could get. Sesshomaru, along with Ah-Un, walked at the very head of the group, quite some paces away from the rest. Sango, riding Kirara, along with Miroku, brought up the rear, dragging behind the others. Kagome walked with Rin at her side along with Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara and Shippo. Shippo took this time to talk the fox avatar's ear off about everything kitsune related. Rin proceeded to grill the other two boys on everything she could about the future; a topic she found more fascinating than the others.

Sango glared silently from the back of the group, mostly at the back of Kagome's head. Miroku sent his love sidelong glances as her glare got worse, the longer Kagome stayed with the others.

"You know Sango, you look like a pouting child that way." he stated quietly, hoping none of their demon companions would hear.

Sango turned her fierce glare onto him. "Don't give me that, Miroku. I know as well as you do that you don't like her up there with them either." She ground out, before returning her glare to Kagome's head.

"Of course I don't my love. But what are we to do?" He said, watching the floating clouds drift by them.

"Well I'm going to give her a piece of my mind the second I get her alone. Just because she has her _cousin and his friends, _doesn't mean she has to ignore us." She replied, crossing her arms over her chest and looking out towards the forest.

"Ahhh, my dear I don't think you're giving lady Kagome enough credit. I believe she is… excited… to have people from her own time here, especially her cousin. I feel they may understand her better than we can ever understand her." Miroku responded thoughtfully.

"Understand her? Miroku, you and I have both trained her! Fought beside her! Protected her! She is family, how in the world could we _not understand her?!_" She hissed; trying, but failing, to keep her voice down.

"My dearest Sango, of course she is family. As we are to her. Just because her attention is not on us at the moment does not change the bonds we have formed. Have a little faith in our love for each other, and try not to cast your stones at her for Inuyasha's betrayal." He said quietly, leveling her with a stern glance.

At his words, her eyes went wide. Dropping her hands to her lap, her eyes filled with tears. "I can't help it Miroku. This is how Inuyasha started too; his attention slowly waning from our little family to _her._ I can't help but be afraid that…" she spoke quietly, her voice breaking over her tears.

Miroku reached out and placed his hand on her back, comforting her without any words.

"I know you are bitter my love. We trusted him. But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't trust Kagome because of it. I think lady Kagome wants nothing more than for us to get along with these new comers. Build our circle. Add to our strengths. She is looking out for us Sango, even if it doesn't feel like it." He replied, rubbing small circles in her back as he watched Kagome interact with these new men.

"You're right. I'm sorry Miroku." She said softly, looking at him from behind her hair.

Miroku grinned at her, knowing her fears were cast to the side for the moment. On to his next form of consolidation…

The slap that hit his cheek knocked him on his butt, but his fair, sweet, Sango was back to her usual self.

* * *

Yusuke watched his cousin, even as he half-heartedly answered the brats questions. He noticed the looks she kept shooting the members of the group; as if waiting for something to happen. _Come to think of it, she's been doing that since we first got here to the past… What the hell is she waiting for?_ Still, he said nothing, knowing that she wouldn't tell him the truth in front of everyone anyways.

Kuwabara, likewise watched the miko. She was much brighter today than she was the previous days. Her aura seemed brighter, even more inviting than before. In many ways, she reminded him of Yukina, and suddenly, he missed home. Shaking his head, he went back to examining the small woman. Really, she was rather tiny. The pack she carried must have weighed five times her actual body weight, and the bow she wielded on her back towered over her a good foot. _Man, she must be really strong…_ he thought in awe, watching as she smiled at the young girl once more. But as her eyes caught his, he noticed something that he hadn't before; they were as bright as ever, but there was a tinge of redness and her eyes looked swollen from crying. Smiling at him, she sent him a questioning gaze, to which tried to laugh his way out off. When she lightly shook her head and looked away from him again, his smile dropped. _She's been crying… man, but it's no wonder, after what that dude did to her. Not to mention her village and her friends. That asshole. But wait… did she come back last night?_ He looked up to the bright blue sky, trying to remember if he heard her come back. He had taken a room right next to the one she emerged from this morning. He hadn't been able to fall asleep for sometime. With no clocks, he wasn't sure what time he fell asleep, but it was pretty late. Looking back to the small woman, it struck him that she must have cried all night to have eyes that swollen. _But wasn't she with that Sesshomaru guy? I wonder if he was trying to comfort her? He is the guy's brother after all. And they seem pretty close. Maybe she needed a good cry, and that's what he called her away for last night… I wonder… _Looking at the demon lord's back, he smiled. _Maybe, he's not such a bad guy after all…_

* * *

Hiei watched the group from the trees, focusing on the humans he didn't know. After listening to the slayer and monks conversation in the back, he once again turned his attention to the small miko by his partners side. She had managed to snare his team's attention; their protective triangle was obvious to him, even if it wasn't to them. His eyes narrowed at the thought. Even the demon lord kept his senses trained on her and the small human child by her side. He knew he had to stay strong for his team's sake. If she managed to ensnare him too, his team would be doomed, and she would be their downfall. Sprinting away, he proceeded to kill more of the demons that came after the group for the shikon shards around the miko's neck.

Kagome felt uneasy. Thing's weren't going wrong, persay, but there was a tension, she could feel it radiating through the group. And that she hadn't seen a demon come after the shards yet made her even more wary. She supposed Hiei was taking care of them, as he flitted in and out of her expanded senses. But beside both of those factors, something else made her nervous. Something she didn't know. She couldn't put her finger on it. But something was going to happen. And soon.

* * *

Kurama was enjoying the kit on his shoulder. He was inquisitive and bright; mature for his age even. He obviously doted on his adoptive pack, and loved the miko even more. He asked a million questions a minute and Kurama kept up with them the best he could. His favorite moments were when the kit told a story; Kurama would get a few minutes to gain his wits around him after answering so many questions. The kit spoke of many things; great adventures, fearsome demons, the demon Naraku, all his minions, the people they've met along the way, the friends they've made, the enemies too. Listening to him talk well into the afternoon Kurama and Yoko both felt their respect for the miko; and begrudgingly, her companions as well; grow with each tale. While they were not going to trust a small kit's word completely, it was refreshing to hear such intimate stories of their lives with such sincerity. It made them a little more at ease around these people.

"Yoko, I want to like these people, they seem like good people." Kurama spoke to his partner as the kit told yet another tale of a showdown with Naraku where his mom kicked the hanyou's ass.

"**I'm inclined to trust the kit as well. But he is a child. A child can easily be swayed with false love and attention." **Yoko responded, only keeping half an ear on the tale.

"But Yoko, these people… they remind me much of the team we already have. And we both know the legends, this is the good side. Koenma wouldn't have let us come if it wasn't." Kurama pushed, watching the miko laugh once more.

"**Very true Red. They are much like the detective and his humans. Why is it, however, you want me to like them as well? You typically don't talk about who you decide to like or not like with me." **Yoko purred, edging around Kurama's thoughts.

"I'm… I'm not sure. I guess because some part of me really wants to be a part of this. This.. Pack, they've got going." he admitted, coming to the decision for the very first time.

**"Don't be so foolish Red, they care for their own, and you are not one of their own. Liking them is one thing. Being accepted into their family unit is another, entirely." **Yoko suddenly spoke harshly to him, forcing him back to reality.

"Yes.. You're right." Kurama replied, returning to the kit's story, even as his heart sank in his chest.

* * *

The day wore on slowly for the travelers. The transitional phase of getting used to each other was taking more of a toll than Kagome first thought. By early nightfall, the children's excited chatter had waned away, either from the walking or lack of things to say, the adults didn't know. Not to say they weren't grateful. But by the time camp was made, the circle was deathly silent as everyone waited for food to cook. Kagome shifted nervously over the fire pit while cooking. Sango polished her knife. Miroku meditated. Yusuke napped. Everyone did their own things, separate of the others. Even the children sat quietly, coloring in their coloring books. Dinner was served without any issues, despite everyone avoiding each other. It wasn't till Kagome cleared her throat till anyone spoke at all.

"Ahem. Well, what do you guys think of the past?" She asked, directing her question at Yusuke and the gang.

Kuwabara and Yusuke were too busy stuffing their face with food, so it was Kurama who answered.

"It's very refreshing. The lack of modern technology and the fresh air is my favorite part. Yoko especially likes the plant life everywhere." He stated, returning Kagome's thankful smile.

"So, Kurama, this… Yoko, the kitsune in your head, does he have a form?" Miroku asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Yes, he takes the form of a silver fox when he emerges." he replied, addressing the monk for the first time that day.

"So, can you control him?" Sango asked, her usual blunt way shocking the avatar.

"Wait, what do you mean, _control him?_ Yoko is his own person just as Kurama is." Yusuke jumped in, just as offended by Sango's statement as the fox himself was.

"So you just have a wild demon inside you that you can't control?" she fired back, just as angry as the guys were.

"I don't need to control him, slayer, but I might here very soon." Kurama replied, his cool mask back in place as he matched her firey tone with an equally icy one.

"Why don't you let him out, see who controls him better!" Sango was on her feet, weapon in hand in an instant.

Kurama too, raised himself from the log he sat on.

"Guys, seriously, stop it! What are you doing?!" Kagome cried out, launching herself in between the two. Hiei materialized beside Kurama, hand on his katana, even as Miroku grabbed his staff and Yusuke shot up off the ground. Kirara transformed into her larger state to protect her mistress from the sudden threat

Kuwabara, like Kagome, tried to keep the two sides from going at each others throats. Sesshomaru called Rin to his side and Shippo followed, and the three sat out of it, watching with varied expressions.

Throwing insults back and forth, Kagome was quickly pushed out of the way as the fight escaladed rapidly. Throwing her hands into the sky she looked up towards the heavens, looking for some sort of answer to the fight that was sure to end badly.

But instead, she found a distraction. Bright white lights lit up the sky to their left and with it her stomach dropped to her toes; she knew what those lights were.

Soul stealers. Kikyo was near.

Drifting away from the fight, her feet carried her without her permission. She didn't stop to grab her bow, didn't warn anyone she was leaving. Her heart told her where it wanted to be, and she followed without question.

She could feel her heart shattering all over again at having to face him, to face her, knowing she knew what happened.

Knowing she probably caused it.

Where Kagome thought she would feel anger, she felt none. Only heartbreaking sadness filled her hollow chest. Only a need to understand passed through her mind as she made her way toward the light.

Pushing past bushes and under trees, she made a beeline for the clearing that held the light. She could feel her heartbeat accelerating, her palms growing damp, her breathing getting harsher. She could feel the phantom pain of his claws ripping through her, breaking her, body and soul. She could-

She pushed the last bush away and they came into sight. Kikyo sat cross-legged, leaning against him as she meditated, chanting a spell of some sort. _Inuyasha… _her eyes instantly filled with tears as she took in his long white hair, dog ears and fire rat robe. She finally looked at his face- blank. Nothing. _Nothing?_ She blinked back the tears and studied his face harder. His face was void of any emotion, but his eyes… they swirled between confused, pained, and blank.

Pushing forward when she saw this, they finally noticed her.

Kikyo looked up at her impassively, a small smirk growing on her face as the miko made her way into the clearing. Kikyo stopped chanting and Inuyasha's eyes closed, before opening back up, and falling on her. A vicious growl ripped from his chest, his lips curling into a disfigured snarl.

"So, reincarnation, the rumor is true. You live." She said coldly, placing her hand against Inuyasha's forearm to stop him from moving.

"I do. No thanks to you or Inuyasha, that's for damn sure." Kagome spat back, anger finally thrumming through her chest. _This is going to get nasty, real fast. Hell. _She thought, readying herself for whatever they threw her way.

"It's a shame he didn't kill you the first time, it will be much more painful this time. You have my word on that." Kikyo said as she leaned back against Inuyasha, driving the proverbial nail a little further into Kagome's chest.

"I know you didn't come here strictly to kill me, Kikyo, or you would have done that while I was with my pack. What is it you really want? Why did you seek us out?" Kagome bit back, eyeing the way the hanyou kept leaning into Kikyo and sniffing her. _She can't smell good… I smell her rotting from here… _she thought, wondering not for the first time what the hell was going on.

"You're right, I was hoping you were stupid enough to leave the protection of your group and seek us out. Well isn't it my lucky day, I was right about you." She said, finally releasing Inuyasha's arm.

Inuyasha made his way to his feet slowly, and Kagome felt her heart thrum harder in her chest. _Not again… _she thought, tears blurring her vision once more. Fingering the small knife she kept at her waist, she knew that wasn't going to be enough to fend him off. Instead, she kept talking.

"What have you done to him Kikyo?! The Inuyasha we know and love wouldn't do this!" She yelled across the clearing, even as he made his way towards her, closing the distance at an excruciatingly slow pace.

"Who says she did anything to me Ka-Go-Me?" he asked slowly, drawing her name out with each syllable, the way she had done to him so many times. With each syllable, he cocked his head a little more, even as a cruel, fanged grin appeared on his face.

"Inuyasha, I know you! You wouldn't do this! You wouldn't do this to me, to Sango and Miroku, to the village! You wouldn't do this!" She yelled the emotions getting the better of her.

"Feh. I wouldn't kill and maim the humans that kept me trapped to their side for five years? I wouldn't huh? Man, you're more stupid than I ever gave you credit for wench." he said, his approach coming ever closer to the still miko.

Kagome faltered. Everything she ever thought she knew shattering around her.

And for him; that was all it took. He leapt.

* * *

Back at the campsite, the group was just about to get really bloody really fast when-

"Guys…"

"Hey, guys, stop fighting!"

"Sango!"

"Miroku!"

"Why is nobody listening to me?!"

"KAGOME'S GONE!" Shippo suddenly yelled, startling everyone out of their anger. Slowly, everyone looked around. Sure enough, the small miko was gone. Yusuke was the first to speak up.

"Shit, well where did she go?" He asked, swiveling around looking for her.

"I dunno, I went to the bathroom and when I came back, Lord Sesshomaru was walking away and Kagome was gone!" Shippo cried, waving his hands around.

"Shippo, I'm sure she's fine, she probably just went to the bathroom or something." Sango snapped, redirecting her anger on the kit.

"I think Lady Kagome was following the pretty lights!" Rin chipped, looking up from her coloring book. "And Lord Sesshomaru followed her, cuz he went in the same direction and told me to wait here with Ah-Un!"

Everyone turned and faced the direction in which the girl pointed. Suddenly, Miroku and Sango cursed something fierce, before taking off toward the light, their weapons in tow. Shippo gasped, and started to back away, putting his small hands to his head, even as tears filled his eyes.

Kurama wheeled on the kit, grabbing him up and bringing him face level. "What is that light little one?" He asked, leaving no room for nonsense.

Shippo looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. "That's Kikyo's soul stealers… Inuyasha's here."

There was a brief pause before the four men left in the clearing took off toward the light too.

* * *

Kagome could do nothing, frozen in her own disbelief that he was attacking her again.

Just as he came down on her, claws extended- a dark shadow passed over her, coming between her and her would-be killer. She heard the shrill noise of Inuyasha's claws coming down on something metal. Blinking the tears away, she looked up at Sesshomaru's back. Once again, her mentor had come to her rescue.

Jumping away, Inuyasha hit the ground crouching, growling like a feral dog. Kagome looked around the two brothers to keep an eye on Kikyo.

But she was gone. Using Inuyasha as a cover, she had fled, leaving her _precious dog _to fight her battle.

And fight he did. Recklessly, he threw himself at Sesshomaru again, claws extended, red coming to his eyes. Once again, Sesshomaru deflected his attack effortlessly. Sesshomaru gave a small growl as Inuyasha once again jumped backwards.

"Have you no honor, half-breed? She is pack." He said, even as he held his sword in front of him, readying for another attack.

"HA! Like you have any honor, attacking your own blood! Don't be a hypocrite Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha cried, once again attacking his brother, swiping viciously with his claws.

It was then Kagome realized he didn't have Tessaiga. _What? But even if he gave up protecting humans, he would never… _she thought, looking around the clearing for it. Suddenly, things weren't adding up to her. Kikyo's chanting, her disappearance. Inuyasha's easy transformation into his wild demon side. His lack of sword. The look on his face when she had entered the clearing.

_Something's not right here… _she thought, really looking at Inuyasha for the first time. He looked haggard, tired even. His hair was wild and unkempt. His clothes were dirty, and hung off him, like he had lost weight. His eyes had a glossy sheen to them, like he hadn't slept in days.

_Or…_ suddenly, Kagome thought of another possibility.

Just as it dawned on her, footsteps were coming at her from the direction of camp. Miroku and Sango came rushing into the scene, with the spirit detectives hot on their heels. Everyone formed a semi-circle around the fighting brothers, even as first blood was drawn and Inuyasha hit the ground hard. Kagome tried to answer the concerned questions aimed at her; from her cousin, his friends, her pack. Everyone was clamoring, concerned about her, wanting to know what happened; all of it making it hard to focus on Inuyasha's fighting form.

"Don't kill him yet Sesshomaru, I want a go at this bastard for hurting my cousin!" Yusuke suddenly yelled, cracking his knuckles and stepping up beside the full inu brother.

Sesshomaru spared him a glance, before stepping back and letting the young detective have a go at the hanyou. Panic started to form in Kagome's stomach as Inuyasha threw some smart ass remark at her cousin, blood dripping down his chin, but his cocky smile in place.

Suddenly, Yusuke's team stepped up beside him, and the four of them took turns on him; a slice there, a blow there; quickly bring the hanyou to his knees. Kagome looked at Sango and Miroku, both silently watching like judges on judgment day.

_At this rate, they'll kill him! _She thought in a panic, moving forward to stop the fight.

"Lady Kagome! You mustn't!" Miroku yelled, reaching her quickly moving body and halting her movements.

"Miroku, they're going to…" She turned, facing him in shock. But what she saw in his face stopped her dead.

_Miroku wants him dead too… _She thought, turning back to watch them take the hanyou down.

"You're just going to let them kill him?!" She whispered, tears coming to her eyes as she watch them efficiently wear him down to nothing.

"You know neither Lady Sango and I can easily bring ourselves to do it. Neither can you. It is easiest this way. Their anger drives them. They aren't plagued with our memories of him." he said just above ear, watching the fight with her.

"But he…" She started, trying to push his arm away. But sadness washed over her, and she choked back a sob that ripped through her chest.

"Lady Kagome, that's not the Inuyasha you love, you must let him go." Miroku said softly in her ear, holding her tight to keep her from the fight. She didn't respond to him.

She couldn't. She couldn't let this happen. Couldn't listen to Miroku's word. Couldn't handle the pain tearing through her.

Instead, Kagome focused her eyes on Inuyasha, tuning her spiritual powers onto him. His body. His soul. His mind. She tore him apart. Searching. Looking for any trace that maybe, just maybe-

There it was. That darkness, gripping his chest and head tightly. She focused harder, breaking out into a sweat at the effort, but she delved deeper.

In his aura was a darkness. A fathomless pit of evil that wasn't there before. It wasn't coming from inside him, no not at his core. But it wrapped around his core like spider web, keeping his bright aura, his bright soul, tightly bound in some dark sort of…

_Control. They're controlling him._ She thought, the light in her head going off suddenly at finding what she was looking for. She sagged in Miroku's arms as her energy drained, the effort of digging through him draining her of any physical strength.

Turning back to the fight, she realized that now, only Yusuke and Inuyasha stood facing each other. All the other men in the group had stepped back to watch from the shadow of the trees. Blood littered the floor and their clothes, all, she realized, from Inuyasha.

Inuyasha swayed where he stood, one blow from defeated. _One blow from dead…_ She thought, watching his face contort in pain, even around the smirk that hadn't left his face. Yusuke stood, yelling at him, power forming around his fingers, held like a gun.

_Oh God, he's going to kill him. But if he was being controlled… then that wasn't him. Inuyasha didn't do those horrible things…No… Inuyasha… NO!_

She heard Yusuke yell his last words and she knew it was now or never.

* * *

"Well, you sorry son of a bitch, what do you have to say for yourself?" Yusuke asked, as the half demon stood, swaying in a puddle of his own blood. His teammates had stepped back; giving him the duty… no the HONOR of killing this bastard in the name of his little cousin. He held his hands up like a toy gun, letting his power pool into his finger in a way that signaled his most powerful attack.

"Ha… you think you've won? Go ahead and kill me boy, it won't matter. You're never going to be able to protect her. One day, you're going to hold her dying body in your arms, and it will be your fault." Inuyasha spat back, spilling blood as he talked.

Yusuke felt his blood boil, and for a second, he was quiet. "No. No you're wrong. I'm going to kill you where you stand. You'll never harm another person, especially not my cousin! And then I'm going to pick up where you left off, and I'm going to protect her! I'm going to succeed where you failed, you rotten piece of shit. Say good-bye you sorry bastard!" By the time Yusuke said good-bye, his spirit gun was ready to go. Aiming, he shot.

At the very last second, just before he let the power flow from his fingers and out to kill his target, Kagome tore across the clearing before anyone could stop her.

She tore through the clearing, right for the line of fire.

The blast hit her full force in her side. Throwing her straight back, she collided with Inuyasha, taking him down with her as she crashed into the tree behind him. She felt her body breaking with the impact. But she also felt something entirely different that she focused on more than the pain. She felt him wrap his arms around her.

Though her eyes were closed tightly, she saw him behind her closed eyelids. Close to death, he fought the spell as hard as he could. His face, contorting with pain and effort, just to wrap his arms around her. In that split second before they hit the tree, she knew she made the right decision.

But then they hit the tree. Though his body took most of the blow from the tree, her body took the blow from the blast. His spiritual energy didn't hurt her the way it would have hurt Inuyasha, but the force broke her ribs. She felt as if her chest had been crushed in. Her head hit the tree, just over Inyasha's shoulder, knocking stars into her vision. By the time she blinked her sight back to her, everyone had gathered around the tree, all yelling and trying to pull her from the half demon's arms. Struggling to get her baring back as quickly as possible, she dug her feet into the dirt, and spun around; half standing, half kneeling in front of the half demon that sat half conscious behind her, his eyes covered by his bangs. Blinking her blurry vision away, she threw her hands up to stop any further movement.

"Please.. Please don't kill him." She cried, her voice breaking from the pain and her inability to breath from the bones broken in her chest. The clearing was dead silent. Where there was a bedlam of sound before, now there was none. At her words, everyone looked at her like she had lost her mind; slightly hurt, betrayed, angry, confused; all the emotions were there in their eyes. Kagome met their eyes slowly, pleading with them to listen to her. Blood dripped into her eyes, making her vision swim in red, but she refused to waste even a second of precious time.

"He.. He's not himself, I think…" She started to say, but she was interrupted by the growling coming from behind her. Whipping herself around, she dropped to her knees. Grabbing his face, she heard her friends protest behind her, but no one moved. She brought his eyes up for her to see.

Back to his normal golden, there was that sheen again. The one that showed his confusion, his swirling conflict. "Ka..Kagome?" He asked, a croaked whisper that the others barely heard. Sango's gasp behind her let her know that they were catching on.

Choking down a sob, Kagome brushed his bloody hair out of his face. "Yes, I'm here Inuyasha, I'm here." His eyes clouded, and she watched the dark poison thunder through his eyes.

She barely pushed herself away fast enough. Throwing herself backwards she hit the ground just in time.

He swiped at her, before turning and running before anyone could do anything.

Everyone moved to help the fallen miko, but she kept her eyes on the path her half demon friend tore through the forest.

_He's still in there somewhere.. We have to save him…_

Darkness encompassed her before she could do anything else.

* * *

She woke up some time later, laying in the safety of camp. Red hair was the first thing she saw, leaning over her. Green eyes came into focus next. Groaning, she closed her eyes at the headache that pounded in her head. A cool hand was placed against her forehead before she heard Kurama chuckle.

"You know, miss Kagome, just because I can heal you, doesn't mean you should test that ability." He spoke low, aware of her headache.

Kagome opened her mouth to speak, but her throat was raw from being dry. Bringing water to her lips, she drank thankfully. Laying her head back down, she tried again.

"Who knew that spiritual power had that much of a punch huh?" She said, laughing lightly.

Sitting up, she prepared herself for the worst. But there was hardly a scratch on her. Surprised by the lack of injuries, she looked back up into Kurama's eyes, questioning him.

For his part, his eyes simply flashed a golden color, and he winked at her before standing and offering her his hand. Taking it gingerly, she stood shakily on her feet.

He brought her over to the campfire circle, where she could feel the eyes on her. Prying her open. Demanding answers. And she quickly found the tears springing to her eyes, threatening to overcome her. No one spoke for a long moment, not even the children, who sat huddled with the fire cat. Shippo, for once, didn't come bounding into her arms. He never even moved. No one did.

So she sat there. Head down like a small child, her hands tucked around her legs, knees to her chest. Finally, she cleared her throat.

"I'm… I'm sorry." She said softly, waiting for the scolding to come. The anger. All the feelings she could feel hitting her like waves from her companions. Surprisingly, it was Hiei who talked first.

"You were right miko. The darkness controlling his mind was not his own. I inspected it after you threw yourself in there like a fool. He was being controlled." He stated, for once sitting around the campfire with everyone.

Kagome's head shot up at this, ignoring the throbbing pain. "You… you noticed?" She said breathlessly, her hopes of them believing her soaring to life.

"Not until you foolishly took the hit for him. It cracked for just a moment, and I could feel the ties coming undone. It was the only way to explain your irrationality." He stated coldly, eyeing her with anger, but without his usual distain.

Kagome looked down once more. "I.. I didn't know what else to do. I just knew I had to save him. You're all right. It wasn't smart. I could have died. But I couldn't let him die, if it wasn't his fault. If the Inuyasha we knew can be saved, I can't NOT try. I can't give up on him like that. He deserves more than us to turn our backs on him when he's still in there. It's just like Naraku to use him like this… When I arrived in the clearing, Kikyo was chanting something. I think.. I think she holds him to Naraku's control." Kagome looked up after saying this. She looked across the fire pit to her companions eyes. The fire danced on their faces, in their eyes. The anger was still there. But so was understanding. Sadness. Pain. "I'm.. I'm sorry. I don't know how to make this better." She said, looking back to the ground.

"Kagome.. How could you jump in front of my attack? How do you think I would have felt if I had killed you? Did you think about that?" Yusuke spoke up, his voice full of pain, anger, and exasperation.

"No. I didn't think about your pain, Yusuke. But I did know it was a spiritual attack, and while it could harm me, it couldn't kill me. I'm sorry. I messed up. I know it. But I can't take back what I did now. I did what I knew was right." She replied, facing him fully over the fire. His eyes showed his anger. His fear. His pain.

"I'm sorry Yusuke, I know you want nothing more than to protect me." She said softly and watched him look away from her in frustration. His jaw clenched and his hands balled into fists, but he said nothing.

The camp fell silent for a long moment.

"Miko, this discussion is over. What happened, happened. And now we know my pathetic half-brother is under that spiders spell. We will discuss your disappointing actions no more. However, you are not to pull a stunt like that again." Sesshomaru spoke, also from inside the circle.

Meeting his eyes, she nodded her head before smiling at him. Grateful for his finality on the subject.

Everyone nodded and moved to fall into sleep, it being late in the night. Only Sango sat where she was, her tea-cup in her hand.

"Kagome…" She said, halting Kagome's movement from her now standing position.

When Kagome stilled, Sango looked at her thoughtfully, before turning her gaze to the sky. "How did you know? How did you know he was in there? There was no reason to believe in him anymore. There was no obvious sign.. How?" She asked, looking back at the miko.

Kagome stared into the fire for a long moment. She knew that everyone waited on bated breath for her answer. Their movements getting ready for bed were slow and drawn out, so as not to miss her answer. And truthfully, she didn't have one. Not an obvious one at least.

"I don't know Sango. My heart told me so. Told me to look past what my eyes saw. My heart recognized his pain, even when I didn't."

Kagome lifted her eye's to meet Sango's. And for a moment, Sango could have sworn her eyes glowed with the flames of the fire.

* * *

AN: Whew! Sorry that took so long! Anyways, plot twist! I didn't even know that was coming. It just came. Haha So… yea. Next chapter, we'll meet up with Koga, and expand on the groups emotions a little more. I think this incident with Inuyasha will really help the group bond together. Or at least that's what I want to happen. We'll see.

I had a guest asking questions about what Rin is to Sesshomaru as well as what Kagome is to Sesshomaru. Well. Rin is a child that he cares about. Kagome is his first pupil and he cares about her. Sesshomaru cares about them deeply. That is about all I've got right now. Defining those sort of lines is something that's going to have to come with the story. I don't know, so I have no answer for you.

Also, a couple people mentioned pairings. Ah, the dreaded pairings. Well I don't have one. Er.. Well not yet. Miroku and Sango , Yusuke and Keiko, as well as Kuwabara and Yukina are a few of my favorite cutie pairings. So that's that. No expansion. But as far as the others… well that's another thing that's going to have to come with the story. If you can't tell, I'm a Kagome fan. I'm also a reverse Harem fan. So… sorry. I guess I'll figure it out as the story progresses who I want to see her with more. No, it won't be Inuyasha. Probably not Koga. Probably. I'll take suggestions of what you guys want to see though and we'll see if my muse likes it (: Other than that, I don't know what to tell you.

Oh yea I do: you must read on to find out!

Bwahaha.

But on a serious note. I'll try to keep you guys posted about my train of thoughts on all that important stuff. If I come across a revelation and a direction in which I'm taking this story, I'll be sure to let you guys know.

As always, Thanks bunches to everyone that reviews. It puts my butt to work for you, churning out more chapters so you guys continue to love me-ahem, the story. And as always, please tell me what you liked, what you didn't and how you think it could improve!

Kristina. .3: THANK YOU! Ohmygosh, Sesshomaru and Hiei are really hard for me to write. I'm so glad you enjoyed that. Whew. I feel better. I kinda panicked uploading it because I was afraid to get the "wtf are you doing?!" but I feel much better. Thank you so much for reviewing, I look forward to hearing what you thought about this chapter!

Cade213: YES! Score. If you still like it when you're fully aware, we're doing good. Haha I'm so glad you liked that part! That fluff part was my favorite to write! Thank you for your awesome support!


	7. Family Means Nobody Gets Left Behind

Family First

Disclaimer:  
I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho.

_"Hiei thoughts" also "everyone else's thoughts as dictated by sentence"  
_**"Yoko thoughts"**  
"Kurama thoughts"

Chapter 7: Family Means No One Gets Left Behind

The next day was easier on the group. The fight had been left behind them at the campsite and everyone was more at ease. Maybe not friends, but not at each others throats either. Shippo spent most of his day with his mother; comforting her in his own way.

Kagome talked little. She spent most of the walk looking up at the sky, thinking about Inuyasha. Everyone shared worried looks over her state of mind. Even Rin, seeking comfort after the chaos of last night, stayed close to Sesshomaru, who held her hand as they walked. Where divides had been bridged between the two groups, the bridge that attached them to the miko seemed impassable; so far away was she mentally.

Stopping for lunch was a disaster. Dazed and not paying attention to the food, Kagome managed to mess up every way possible.

"Shit!" She whispered after the third burn to her fingers. Seeing her struggling, Sango approached her.

"Kagome, do you want to go bathe? I can take care of lunch." She said, gently easing the stirring spoon from Kagome's burnt hand.

"Oh.. Yea, I guess I could do that." Kagome replied, blinking at Sango owlishly. Sango gave her an encouraging smile and guided her out of her place in front of the fire.

"Go on, lunch will be ready when you come back." She said, replacing Kagome at the fire. Looking down, she grimaced at the state of the food. _Looks like I'll have to restart it… this isn't salvageable. _Sango thought as she waited for Kagome to exit the clearing, not wanting to hurt the miko's feelings.

Nodding dumbly, Kagome collected her stuff for a bath, as well as Shippo's. "Shippo, Rin, do you guys wanna come?" She asked, looking at the children. Jumping up, he joined her on her shoulder, pointing the way to the river. Rin looked up at Sesshomaru, who nodded his head at her, before she jumped up to join them too.

As soon as she left the clearing, Sango heaved the pot over to a wooden area, before dumping it all onto the ground.

Returning to the fire, she met Kurama's sympathetic gaze. "That bad huh?" He asked, watching her restart the water.

"Yea. Not edible in the least. Kagome's taking this whole Inuyasha thing really hard." She said, ducking her head down, so she didn't have to meet his questioning gaze.

"I've noticed she's taking it harder than you and Miroku are. Is there any particular reason?" He asked, picking up vegetables to start chopping for the new batch.

Sango was silent for a long time. So long, he didn't think she would answer him.

"She.. She had a unique relationship with Inuyasha. She was in love with him for the longest time. He couldn't ever see her for her though. He always saw Kikyo. So he returned her feelings. But it wasn't really for her. His feelings for Kikyo never faded. I think in his own way, he loved her too. But it was always a really rough triangle. And most of the time, Kagome got the shitty end of the stick, no matter what she did." She finally said, stirring the pot and not looking at the avatar.

Kurama paused in his chopping. "So she was in love with him…" He thought, the idea getting to him more than he would like to admit. For once, even Yoko was quiet at this blatant revelation.

"Ah. I can see how that would hurt her more then." He replied, chopping again.

"Yea.. Don't get me wrong, Miroku and I are both… hurt. But we're a little different from Kagome. She's.." At a loss for words, she stopped here.

Kurama looked up finally, watching the slayer struggle for the words.

"She feels more strongly than we do. She's very in tune with her emotions. She has this compassion in her, that drives her to care very deeply and strongly about everyone. And I do mean, everyone." Miroku piped up, walking up to them with more fire wood in his hands. Looking up at the new comer, Kurama shot him a small smile as he knelt to add wood to the fire.

Yusuke trailed in behind him, his arms also loaded up with more berries and roots that he and Miroku collected.

"Yea, she's always been like that. She can look at a stranger and know if they are good people or not. If they are, it's like she throws her heart at them and offers it freely for them." Yusuke piped in. "I remember this kid tried to beat me up when we were little and she jumped in the fray, hands on her hips. She stared him down for a minute before grabbing him up by his ear; he stood two feet over her mind you; and dragged him in the house for lunch. I was so pissed. But by the time it was getting dark, she had him in tears because she somehow knew his dad beat him at home." He said, plopping down next to Kuwabara as he told his story. By the end of it, it had put a smile on everyone's face.

Chuckling, Miroku wiped his hands on a rag before sitting down to join the circle. "I dare say we all have a story or two like that about Kagome. None of us would be here if she wasn't like that."

Everyone was silent for a moment as they thought that over.

"She sure does have a way of bringing people together that wouldn't normally be together." Sango said quietly, looking up at the members of the spirit detectives with a small smile. Meeting her eye, all three of them gave her tentative smiles. Smiles of apology. Smiles of extended friendship. Smiles that said they would all make it work; if only for Kagome's sake.

* * *

Travel got easier after that. Despite Kagome's lack of mental awareness, and the fact that both Sesshomaru and Hiei didn't join camp all day, the others made it work. By the time they stopped again to make camp, they had made significant progress towards the east. The ground had even start to show signs of eastern territory; changing from the rocky, oceanic terrain of the west, to the sandy, bristly desert shrubbery that signaled the east.

Sango once again resumed cooking for the night and Kagome sat on a log staring into the fire. Everyone worked around her, and she listened to them with half an ear. They talked to each other pleasantly, something that caught her attention for the first time today. Looking up she watched them interact. Kurama helped Sango with food. Kuwabara played with Kirara, Miroku and Yusuke sat side by side working on the fire, Miroku showing him how to do it without modern technology. Sesshomaru sat not far from her, resting next to Ah-Un. Shippo and Rin lay close to Kuwabara and Kirara, playing a game of some sort. Smiling, Kagome woke up for the first time that day and realized that as crappy as last night had been, it had mended some walls that stood between the two groups. Kagome looked around for the hybrid, wondering if anything had helped that wild card at all. Not seeing him, she frowned.

She expanded her miko powers out, searching for him somewhere close by. He was nowhere to be found.

"Um, has anyone seen Hiei all day?" She asked suddenly, startling everyone. Blushing, she realized that she must have been really out of it, if everyone was this shocked she was talking.

"Not for the last couple hours. But he should be fine, he tends to do his own thing." Kurama replied, coming out of his shocked state first.

_But he normally comes around camp when we stop… _she thought, returning the avatars smile and going back to staring into the fire.

Everyone exchanged another worried glance.

Dinner came and went, and everyone gather around the campfire, talking pleasantly, swapping stories and talking about things that caught their interest. Even Sesshomaru sat around the fire. Not talking per say, but a part of the conversation none the less. No one even seemed to noticed that the hybrid still hadn't joined them for dinner. No body but Kagome. As much as she wanted to enjoy the fact that everyone was getting along, she had a bad feeling about the hybrid. She knew he tended to fight off the demons that came close, and she couldn't help but wonder if he was hurt. Or worst.

Once dinner was over, Kagome announced she was going to go for a walk.

"Would you like some company Kagome? I don't know if it's safe for you to be out walking alone." Kurama spoke up, standing as he talked.

Shaking her head and backing away, she grabbed her bow. "No, I'll be fine, thanks. I just need some time to think. I'll be back!" She said as she made her way up the path.

"Wait, Kagome, take Kirara with you!" Sango called, sending the fire cat her way. Catching the small cat in her arms, she waved at Sango, calling her thanks.

* * *

"Is she going to be okay alone?" Kuwabara asked as she walked away down the path and into the dark.

"She'll be fine. She does this often when she's upset. Anything that comes her way she can fend off or call for us with Kirara." Miroku answered, watching her disappear too.

Kuwabara wasn't really reassured by this, but he let it drop anyways.

* * *

Putting the cat on her shoulder, she continued walking, seeking out Hiei's aura. Kirara mewed at her from her shoulder.

"It's okay Kirara, I just have a bad feeling about Hiei is all." She replied, stroking the cat's head.

She traveled along the merchants path for a long time before she caught the barest hint of his energy. Stopping, she focused harder. Finding the energy coming from her left, she took off into the trees.

As the energy got stronger, she slowed to a trot. She could tell he wasn't alone, but she couldn't tell who he was with. She started passing fallen trees and trampled shrubs. _Is he fighting someone? _She thought, jogging a little faster. By this time, she had strayed very far from the rest of the group. Listening hard, she heard nothing, but the landscape spoke of a fight.

Suddenly, Kirara started growling. She knew she had to be close. Hopping over a fallen tree, she heard voices. Crouching down, she hid behind a tree and looked around it.

Hiei was strung up from tree to tree, from what looked like spider webs. Hanging not far off the ground, he had his back to her. But she could still see the blood dripping off his body slowly. He was facing a bright white light and it took Kagome a second to realize what it was.

_Kanna! _She thought, realizing it was Kanna and Kagura that stood facing him. Kanna was drawing his soul out with her mirror and Kagura looked on with a small frown on her pretty features. Kagura growled slightly.

"Comeon Kanna, it can't be that hard!" She growled at the young girl at her side.

"His soul is guarded by the dragon on his arm and the eye in his head." Kanna replied emotionlessly.

Kagome then noticed the green light emitting off of Hiei. It was faint, but it was there, just simmering over his skin. _He's resisting her soul stealing mirror? Wow…_ Kagome thought. Thinking quickly, she could assess what happened here. Kagura and Kanna had drawn him out here, away from the camp, where they must have fought until he was worn down enough for Kagura to tie him up to keep him still long enough for Kanna to steal his soul. They must not have planned on him being able to fight off her mirror.

Kagome knew she had to do something. _But what? My arrows are just absorbed into her mirror and that will draw Kagura's attention to me. Damn. _

Kagome hid behind the tree again, trying to figure out her options. Grabbing Kirara off her shoulder, she held her up to eye level. "Kirara, pretty girl, run back to camp as fast as you can, and grab the others okay?" She said, letting the cat jump off her hands, and with a meow, Kirara was bounding off to get her mistress.

Kagome braced herself, grabbing her bow and stringing her first arrow. She took a deep breath and rounded the tree.

Shooting at one side of the webbing that held Hiei in place, and then the other, she had him down on the ground before the two demoness knew what happened. As soon as he was falling to the ground, she ran to him. Jumping over him and in front of the view of the mirror, she effectively stopped the powers of the mirror from taking his soul. However, the mirror instantly trained itself on her. She felt the tugging on her soul immediately Behind her, she heard him gasping for breath and trying to get up behind her.

Kagura yelled in her outrage, throwing an angry snarl at the miko that effortlessly undid all of their hard work in a matter of seconds.

"Damn you, miko! You're such a bothersome wench!" She cried, throwing her fan open. She meant to throw her wind blades at the priestess, before she stopped, looking at the unmoving miko in the mirrors line of fire. She gave a little laugh at her good fortune. "Never mind, since you so graciously threw your soul into the fray, we'll take yours instead. The hybrid's soul doesn't mean as much to Naraku as yours does anyways." She said, closing her fan again and watching her sister do her dirty work.

Kagome couldn't move as the familiar power of the mirror held her in its grasp. She could hear Kagura, feel Hiei behind her moving sluggishly. "G…go Hi-Hiei." She choked out, knowing that even if he couldn't move well yet, he could hear her.

Growling, he stood slowly, the fog of the mirror wearing off. "Foolish miko." He growled at her.

"Aw, how cute. Is this your little pet Kagome?" Kagura called, hiding her laugh behind her fan.

Suddenly Hiei disappeared from behind Kagome and reappeared in front of Kagura. Her eyes widened in shock before she was blown backwards by his blow to her abdomen. Turning with lightning fast speed, he did the same to Kanna, knocking her back and breaking her mirror with the impact.

Kagome was released from the mirror's hold, hitting the ground hard. Just as sluggish as Hiei was, she fought to move. Hiei reappeared in front of her, protecting her until she could get up.

"You better get up miko, I can't stand here all day." he shot back at her, barely sparing her a glance. Turning back to the fight, Kagura and Kanna had gotten up, preparing themselves for the fight.

"You're a tiresome piece of shit, do you know that?" Kagura sneered, throwing her fan out over her head. With a swirl, she created a black hole in the sky, swirling bigger and bigger.

Kagome felt the ability to move returning to her limbs slowly. "Hiei…portal….demon…hordes." She managed to ground out, even as she slowly pushed herself off the ground. Grabbing her fallen bow, she stood beside him wobbly.

"How many?" He asked, grabbing his katana out.

"Hordes. More than we can count." She whispered, keeping her eyes trained on the portal growing bigger and bigger.

"I grow tired of your shit. If I can't take your souls, I'll kill you and Naraku can deal with making a new plan!" Kagura cried out, throwing her fan out in front of her; the sign for an attack.

Demons came spewing out of the hole in a never-ending stream of withering bodies. Kagome moved closer to Hiei and strung her bow tightly.

"Miko." He said, keeping his eyes trained on the onslaught of demons. "Hmm?" She replied, letting her first arrow go, causing a massive hole in the stream. Hair whipped around her face from the force of the portal and her powers, but she kept her eyes trained, her body ready. She would go down fighting.

"Stay alive. I owe you. Don't die without letting me repay you." He said, before zooming off to kill the demons in the mass.

Kagome smiled as she strung her next bow. "You too, Hiei." she whispered, letting go of her next arrow and slinging her bow back on her back. Grabbing her sword, she too took off into the mass.

* * *

Kirara flew into camp in her bigger size at full speed. Roaring, she reared back as the group caught sight of her. Everyone was on their feet in seconds.

"Shit, where's Kagome?!" Yusuke barked at the fire cat throwing his boots on. Kirara roared again, tossing her head back the way she came. Sango and Kuwabara were soon on her back, everyone ready to go. Sparing only a moment to make sure Ah-Un would protect the children, they were off, Kirara led them back towards Kagome as fast as she could fly.

* * *

It wasn't long before Kagome was covered in blood. Slashing here and there, stringing an arrow when she could, she soon lost sight of Hiei, as well as Kagura and Kanna. She had no way of looking for Hiei, so when his back hit hers, she jumped in surprised.

"You hanging in there Hiei?" She yelled over the bedlam, slashing into another demon.

"Hn. Better than you miko." He said, cutting down two more.

"I don't know how long we're going to last, they just keep coming!" She yelled, dropping into a crouch to come up under a larger one.

"How do you usually stop this?" He asked, covering her back as she went down.

"I'd get up in the sky and shoot my arrow into the hole from above it." She yelled, turning and covering his back while he killed a few more at a time before retreating.

He said nothing for a second, and that's when they heard it.

The others had arrived. Instantly, the amount of demons decreased drastically. Whipping around, he grabbed her up around the waist from behind. Yipping, she grabbed onto the wrist that held her to his body. For the first time since the well, they made actual physical contact. Instantly, Hiei was filled with her warm welcoming that heated up her entire body. She, in return, felt like she was being scorched as his natural heat from his element sizzled through her.

In the blink of an eye, he was soaring through the trees. Climbing higher and higher, until he had reached the tallest branch of the closest tree to the portal. "Be ready to shoot miko." He spoke in her ear.

Swallowing, Kagome grabbed her arrow and strung it. And then he leapt. Up into the air, high above the portal. Gripping her tightly, she could feel the blood from his wounds seeping into the back of her shirt. She gripped her bow tightly, knowing this was her only chance. Aiming, she shot. And then they were descending. Falling right into the mass of demons. But her arrow hit, shining bright within the portal before it collapsed it, the demons around its entrance being disintegrated instantly.

They hit the ground hard, but he blunted the impact for her, taking the ground in stride. By the time they hit the ground, the team was cleaning up the rest of the demons, taking them down like insects.

And then it was over. Kagome looked over Hiei's shoulder, to the group that was killing the last of the rogue demons. Kagura and Kanna were gone, fleeing under the cover of the horde. The ground was littered with carcasses. Even in the dark of the night, she could see the blood on the ground. Glittering like jewels in the moon's light.

Looking into Hiei's face, she met his eyes. He was watching her intensely, his red eyes staring into hers, searching her soul. She gave him a small smile and was about to speak, when he blinked his eyes and swayed.

Catching him in a hug, she steadied him even as his knees gave way. _He must have lost so much blood, fighting this whole time with wounds… _she thought, lowering them to the ground gently. She grimaced as their knees sank into something that squelched with the pressure of their weight. Refusing to look down, she focused on the man in front of her, ready to pass out. His eyes were closed and he was breathing harshly.

She grabbed his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her. _He's so warm… _she thought as her fingers stroked his cheeks. His eyes opened slowly and he looked at her in a haze.

"Prepare yourself, I'm going to heal you. It'll be warm, but I swear it won't burn you or hurt you." She whispered, waking sure he understood. When he nodded slowly, she closed her eyes. Finding that healing power in her, she let it filter into her fingers, into his body.

Hiei closed his eyes as her heat enveloped him. _She's so warm…_ he thought vaguely as he felt his wounds closing, his bones mending, and his blood clotting. Her power filled him, making him feel warm and welcomed. Loved even. _Loved? _He thought in confusion, his brows knitting together at the thought. But he couldn't pull his mind together enough to focus on the thought for more than a moment. Even the jagan and the dragon of darkness on his arm felt her, and welcomed her. Despite all his efforts; his body, his soul, his mind, _He; _welcomed her presence in him.

He cracked open his eyes, unsure of when he closed them. She knelt in front of him, her hands splayed on his cheeks, her eyes closed in a peaceful concentration. Her lips parted with the effort of pouring her holy powers into a demon, but she didn't seem affected by it. She glowed, the color of her holy powers surrounding her body in an ethereal light, making her look like a being straight from the it was all for him.

And then it was over, the light faded away from her, the warmth faded away. Her eyes opened slowly, even as she drew her hands away from his face. She blinked, and then focused on his face. He knew he was staring, but he couldn't form a coherent thought. All she did was smile, before standing. He stood too, saying nothing but looking away from her when she focused on the group standing behind them.

Suddenly, he realized how foolish he was acting. Just like the rest of his team. _But that stupid woman threw herself in front of the soul sucking mirror to save me. She wouldn't have done that if she meant any harm. Perhaps she's just like the detective. _Watching her heal the others in the group, he realized that maybe he had been wrong about this slip of a woman. She was honest and heartfelt, like the buffoon. Brave and loyal, like the detective. Intuitive and smart like the fox. _Perhaps I've been to hard on her._ He thought.

He didn't know it yet, but he had already begun to let her in.

* * *

The others watched their miko heal the hybrid she had come to save. Sango leaned against Miroku, a small smile playing on both of their lips as they watched their sister work her magic on yet another cold, untrusting demon. Healing him, she really did look like a heaven-sent.

Yusuke couldn't help but smile as he watched his loving cousin tearing down the walls of his elusive friend, just by healing his wounds. _If anyone could break into his barrier, it would be that crazy chick. _He thought, crossing his arms and leaning against the tree. He caught Kurama's eyes and smirked. Tossing the avatar a wink, he turned back to watch his cousin work her healing magic.

Kurama was torn. He knew that the small miko had gained some respect and trust from the hybrid; that much was obvious because she was touching him, let alone healing him. But he also felt conflicted. She was helping him. Healing him. Fighting with him. Getting close to him.

"**And not to you, Red?" **Yoko purred, reaching into the depths of his thoughts.

Kurama ignored him.

Sesshomaru looked on impassively, watching the Miko throw her heart at the wild hybrid like she always did. She put herself on the line for him, knowing he would kill her in a heartbeat. While he was worried for his protégée, he couldn't complain. After all, that's how he come to trust, and eventually care for, the small woman with the big heart. Turning his back, he left the field; returning to his ward that he had been away from long enough.

* * *

Kagome managed to heal everyone's wounds. She worked on Kurama last, walking up to him with a tired smile on her face. He knew that healing all but Sesshomaru in the group was taking its toll on her. Shaking his head, he smiled at her. "Don't worry about me, miss Kagome, you need to rest, and I'm not hurt much." He said.

She put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh no huh?" she said. Her hand shot out and grabbed his wrist before he could stop her. His wrist was broken from an impact with a larger demon's skull, but he planned on letting it heal on his own. She squeezed slightly, causing him to yank his hand back sharply. He held his broken wrist with his other hand and stepped back.

She giggled when he glared at her with those bright green eyes. "Oh stop being a baby and come here." She said softly, stepping up to him, trapping his hands between their bodies as she grabbed his cheeks softly. Her fingers were soft on his face, even with the war-ready callous. She poured her healing power into him and his eyes slid closed, his body relaxing under the warm heat of it.

Way too soon, it was over, and the heat ended. She moved her hands away from his face and stepped back. Instantly, he missed her warmth. He never even felt body lean forward unconsciously. She giggled at him, causing him to open his eyes and straighten himself up, embarrassed.

Changing the subject quickly to hide his embarrassment, he moved it back to her. "If you can do that for us, why do you never heal yourself?" He asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know. Never been able too. It's odd, but I don't…I don't mind." She touched her head lightly as she finished her sentence.

Reaching out, he touched her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Yea, I'm fine, just tired and a little woozy for a second." She replied, shaking her head and smiling up at him.

Making up his mind quickly, he swooped her up, picking her up bridal style. She squealed, but grabbed onto the front of his shirt.

"What in the world do you think you're doing?" she hissed.

"I'm carrying you. You've done enough tonight, and you aren't going to make the walk back easy." He said and left no room for argument. Waving the others over, they all gave him questioning glances as they approached. He met their eye without hesitation, even Yusuke, who was glaring at him with suspicion.

At the right moment, before anyone spoke of his odd behavior, Kagome let out a jaw-breaking yawn and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Man, I really need to work on my healing stamina." She muttered, closing her eyes. Without further hesitation, everyone started the trek back to camp without questioning Kurama, chalking it up to Kagome's exhaustion.

* * *

Arriving back at camp, no one said anything. Sesshomaru already sat next to his ward, curled up with Shippo, and the two-headed dragon. His eyes were closed, but no one thought he was asleep.

Sango, Miroku and Kuwabara instantly got ready for sleep, doing the bare minimum and falling into their sleeping bags mostly dressed still.

Kurama slipped Kagome into her sleeping bag and zipping her up. Crossing the camp, he also readied himself for bed.

"**Red?" **Yoko piped up, interrupting his thoughts.

Mentally acknowledging him, Kurama continued his ritual without paying much attention to him.

"**Maybe.. Maybe you were right." **Yoko said uncertainly.

Kurama paused. "Right about what?" He asked, slowly going back to his motions.

"**Right about these people. The miko went after Hiei. And by the way our little firecracker is looking at her, she must have done something amazing to gain his favor." **Yoko admitted.

Kurama slid his eyes over to the spot in a nearby tree that Hiei claimed as his own. While his eyes were glazed over like he was lost in thought, his physical eyes were trained on the sleeping miko.

"Maybe she did. She probably risked her life or something for that sort of shock and awe from Hiei." Kurama replied. "But what does that have to do with anything?" He asked, prying the fox for the core of his problem.

"**Well I was rather harsh with you the other day about their pack. While what I said is true of most family like pack units, these people seem… more accepting." **Yoko admitted, quiet, even in his own mind.

Kurama softened to his counter partner. Only in the confines of their shared head would Yoko admit this. "Don't worry about it. I tend to let my emotions run away with me. And I think the kit being so easily accepting made me believe that we would be too." Kurama replied, sliding into his sleeping bag.

"**Well, at this point Red, I wouldn't say it's impossible. If a miko is willing to throw herself in danger over a forbidden child, I'm more willing to believe that your hopes aren't too far-fetched. Who knows, maybe we'll have a family soon, too." **Yoko spoke quietly, before retreating to the back of Kurama's mind to contemplate this turn of events.

Kurama looked over at the sleeping miko. _Yea… just maybe._

* * *

Hiei sat staring into the fire long after the flames had turned to embers. The sky was beginning to lighten, but his mind was a world away. His eyes often found the sleeping miko, questioning her existence and intentions.

The sky was turning a dusty grey color when he saw the demon lord rise. Paying him little mind, Hiei continued to watch the sun rise. As Sesshomaru made to leave camp, he stopped in front of the hybrid. Hiei turned his focus to the demon lord standing just below the tree. Sesshomaru was silent a long moment, before he turned his head to regard Hiei. Meeting his eyes, Hiei held his gaze. Sesshomaru stood there for a long moment before he came to some sort of conclusion that please him.

"The miko saved you." Sesshomaru stated, not a question, but more an assumption of what happened.

Nodding once, Hiei felt the need to explain. "The soul sucking mirror. She offered her soul as a sacrifice for mine." He stated, watching the demon lord's expression. Sesshomaru didn't even blink an eye, he just continued to scan the forest around them.

"Reservations against her won't do you any good, hybrid." He stated simply, before walking into the forest. He never even spared Hiei a second glance.

Hiei watched the demon lord as he left before letting he let his head fall back, hitting the bark behind him. _That's becoming clear very fast… _He thought and continued to watch the sun rise over the mountains they were traveling too.

* * *

AN: So I know I said we'd get to Koga this chapter, but Kristina. .3 inspired this chapter! She told me I should have Kagome put herself on the line for one of the guys and suddenly I HAD to do it. So thank you! Okay, so CHAPTER 8 should be meeting Koga. Hopefully. Haha I still have no idea what I'm doing for pairings. No update on my direction. But an update none the less!

You guys know the drill, let me know what you think!

Thanks guys!

Kristina. .3: So this is my take on your suggestion! I just HAD to do it, because I was struggling with how I was going to get Hiei to drop his guard lol I hope you like it. (:

Kedakumi: I really like that idea! We'll see if it sticks. (: lol thank you! I'm glad you like the story!

La canelle: I'll keep that in mind! Thank you (:

Sverhei: Well thank you! I'm glad you like it! Yea, the pairings are kicking my ass. But I guess what happens happens lol

And for the anonymous guests that review, thank you all for your input! It really helps!


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